THE  OFFICIAL  WAR  MAP!    THE  STANDARD  HISTORY! 

New  Edition;  Complete  to  June  1,  1865. 

NEW  TOPOGRAPHICAL  WAR  HAP 

OF    THE 

SOTJT7I3[E5I=LlNr    ST-A.T7E3S, 

AND 

HISTORY  OF  THE  REBELLION, 

COMBINED  IN  A  SUBSTANTIAL  POCKET-CASE. 

The   Map   sheet  is  30  by  40  inches,  and  the  History  contains  220  pages,  forming  a 
complete  Hand-book  of  the  Rebellion. 

I»rtIOE,        -----        so    Oents. 

THE  SAME  MAP  WITHOUT  THE  HISTORY,  PRICE,  25  Cents. 

MOST    ECCJET^fTRIC    3300J.C     OXJTI 

^    •    »  

THE    NASBY  PAPERS. 

—  BY  — 

12rno.  Paper, 
I»K,ICE,       -----       S5f    Cents. 

book:  of  jlli^  ooimcic  book:©i 

^  »  1^ 


jU.".'  ■■'.. 


Y"  BOOK    OF  COPPERHEADS. 

—  BY  — 

i»:^iTia"E!XJS  i*i3:'S'3::3S33sr- 

Oblong,    in    Boards. 

3PP1ICE, SS    Cents. 

Agents  and  #1  Trade  supplied  on  liberal  terms,  and  single  copies  mailed,  post-paid,  on 
receipt  of  priceT    Address 

J.  R.  HAWLEY  &  CO.,  Publishees, 

104    Vine    Sti'eet, 

CINCINNATI,  OHIO 


^.^^ 


/7  /  THE 

ASSASSIMATION 

AND  HISTORY  OF 

THE  CONSPIRACY, 


A  complete  digest  of  the  whole  affair  from  its  inception 
to  its  culmination,  Sketches  of  the  principal  Char- 
acters,  Reports  of  the  Obsequies,  etc. 


FULLY    ILLUSTRATED. 


CINCINNATI: 

J.  R.  Hawley  &  Co.,   164  Vine  Street. 
1865. 


»  ■'»   V    K^        '  s 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  186S, 

Bt    J.    R.    HAWLEY    &    CO., 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Uuited  States  for  the  Southern  District  of  Ohio. 


I 


y  '     -' 


CONTENTS. 


oj«<o 


I. 

Sketch  of  the   Life   of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


II. 
About  Secret   Organizations   Connected  with    the    Con- 
spiracy,  and  their  Influences. 

III. 
History  of  the   Conspiracy — the  Plot  and  Deeds. 

The  Assassins — their  Pursuit  and   Capture. 

•V. 

Sketches  of  the  leading   Conspirators. 

■VI. 
Obsequies — the    Funeral     Cortege     from    City    to    City 
and  final   ceremonies  at  Springfield. 

•VII. 
Licidents  and  Reminiscences.  v 


ILLUSTEATIONS. 


oXKc 


I.  The  Assassination   of  President  Lincoln 
II.  The  Attempt  on   Secretary   Seward. 
ni.  Portrait   of   John   Wilkes  Booth. 
IV.  Capture   and  Death   of   Booth. 
V.  Portrait  of  Boston    Oorbett. 


PREFACE. 


The  poignant  grief  and  universal  deeply  seated 
sorrow  of  those  who  knew  Abraham  Lincoln  best 
and  loved  him  most — ^the  native  and  adopted 
masses  of  our  re-born  republic — are  not  restricted 
to  the  millions  who,  by  his  wise  policy  and  stern 
adherence  to  the  right,  may  yet  say  to  the  down 
trodden  of  other  lands.  "Come  as  your  brothers 
have  come,  our  glorious  Union  is  again  intact, 
an  asylum  for  the   oppressed." 

The  dire  calamity  that  has  enshrouded  our 
land  with  the  ebony  mantle  of  darkness  is  not 
ours  alone.  It  is  world  wide.  The  mighty  na- 
tions of  Europe  stand  aghast  at  the  dreadful 
deed. 

Brittania's  royal  widow  sympathizes  with  her 
Cv) 


▼i  PREFACE. 

afflicted  sister  of  Columbia.  The  Lion  tames  on 
beholding  the  agony  of  the  bird  of  Jove.  G-allia 
reverts  to  her  Reign  of  Terror,  and  wonders 
whether  rivers  of  blood  will  flow  in  America  as 
in  her  days  of  Robespeirre.  "Not  so,  Nephew  of 
your  Uncle."  The  mantle  of  Elijah  has  fallen 
upon  Elisha;  Columbia  has  an  abiding  faith  in 
her  Johnson. 

Classic  Italia  drops  her  chisel  at  the  unfin- 
ished statue ;  the  pencil  refuses  its  office  at  the 
canvas.  Our  Hosmer  and  Powers  cease  for  awhile, 
and  mentally  ask  "who  shall  bring  forth  from 
the  marble  the  semblance  of  the  noblest  work  of 
God— a  Good  Man? 

Lands  of  Kosciusko  and  Kossuth !  weep,  as  well 
you  may,  for  the  martyred  statesman,  but  de- 
spair not.  Wait  a  little  longer  and  all  will  be 
well  for  the  cause  of  freedom.  Dire  calamities 
to  nations  bring  forth  heroic  vindicators  of  the 
right,  as  did  the  dark  spirits  of  slavery,  and 
treason  accursed,  call  to  the  helm  of  State  that 
man  who  lived  to  witness  the  eradication  of  both 
those  blasting  influences   from   the  land  which  he 


PREFACE.  VH 

has  honored  no  less  than  her  people  now,  and 
will  for  all  time,   honor  his  memory. 

Thanks  to  her  noble  Emperor,  Russia's  Bear 
has  ceased  his  growl  over  serfdom,  and  the  im- 
mortal edict  of  our  Lincoln  unrivets  the  shackles 
of  four  millions  of  men  now — ^hitherto  slaves. 
Well  may  they  chant  their  homejy  but  joyous 
ditty.  "JN"ow  has  the  Kingdom  come,  in  the  year 
of  Jubilee."  Terrible  as  has  been  the  ordeal 
through  which  the  nation  has  passed,  there  re- 
mains the  proud  boast  that  she  faltered  not  in 
her  firm  determination  to  sustain  her  position  as 
the  Land  of  Freedom,  the  home  of  the  oppressed. 
Nay^  more,  her  grandeur  and  power  are  now  far 
greater  than  when  the  rebellious  crew  developed 
their  hell-born  schemes  for  which  they  now  stand 
accursed  of  Grod  and   man. 

The  rainbow  of  promise  dissipates  the  cloud  of 
doubt  as  to  the  perpetuity  of  the  Republic  and 
all  will  soon  be  well. 

The  mighty  drama  is  about  to  close.  Four 
acts,  of  a  year  each,  have  been  witnessed  by  an 
agonized  audience  of  wailing  widows  and  orphans. 


nil  PREFACE. 

The  curtain  will  soon  fall  on  the  fifth.  Vindica- 
ted justice,  retribution  and  expiation  of  the  atro- 
cious deeds  of  traitors  upon  the  gallows  will  be 
the  fitting  denouement  of  that  tragedy  to  which 
generations  unborn  will  turn  with  mingled  feel 
ings   of  wonder    and  horror. 

Historians     of   futurity    will   be   at    fault  "  as   to 
upon   whom  of  the  two   actors   shall   fall    the   ful- 
lest execration  of  all    men — the  bloodstained    As- 
sassin   of   the   tragedy,    or  the   pusillanimous,    un 
sexed  buffoon   of    the  farce  just  enacted. 

Such  as  the  above  were  our  first  thoughts.  To 
speak  or  write  calmly  now  is  a  heavy  task.  The 
pulpit  andthe  rostrum  have  called  forth  the  talent 
of  the  nation,  but  the  theme  is  too  great.  Our 
Cla}^,   Webster  and   Everett   are   no   more. 

We  close  our  brief  preface  with  a  few  remarks 
suggested  in   our   calmer  moments. 


Among  the  declarations  of  John  Felton,  who 
assassinated  the  Duke  of  Buckingham,  circum- 
stances gave  prominence  to  this :  "  There  is  no 
alliance   nearer  to   any   one   than   his    country." 


PREFACE.  IX 


Every  assassin  of  public  men,  and  every  rebel 
against  the  laws  of  his  country,  has  probably 
persuaded  himself  that  he  was  actuated  by  noble 
motives,  and  therefore  anxious  to  blazon  his  spu- 
rious patriotism  on  the  historic  page.  Under  our 
institutions,  true  patriotism  recognizes  "the  coun- 
try "  in  its  faithful  and  trustworthy  representa- 
tive, and  the  good  President  of  the  United  States 
always  becomes  the  object  of  unbounded  endear- 
ment to  the  American  people,  with  small  regard 
to  ordinary  political  bias  on  the  part  of  any. 
"When  a  man  has  carried  our  loved  country 
through  its  sorest  trials  and  greatest  afflictions, 
he  should  find  his  reward  in  the  country's  deep- 
est love;  and  if  a  deeper  love  exists  than  that 
with  which  loyal  men  to-day  cherish  the  memory 
of  the  martyr  President,  its  manifestations  are 
unknown. 

Abraham  Lincoln  v/as  justly  called  the  good 
President.  From  the  first,  he  dared  to  do  right, 
even  contrary  to  great  prejudice  on  the  part  of 
superficial  judges ;  and  his  acts,  during  the  stormy 
term   of  his   administration,   have  formed  for  hinj 


PREFACE. 


a  prouder  monument  than  his  bereaved  people 
can  ever  dedicate  to  his  name.  Blocks  of  gran- 
ite and  marble  shafts  are  not  needed  to  per- 
petuate the  memory  of  the  Christian  statesman 
and  martyred  patriot  in  the  hearts  of  freemen 
everywhere  on  Grod's  footstool;  and  through  the 
record  of  his  acts  shall  he  evermore  declare  to 
the  world;    "I   still   live." 

"  Charity  for  all,  malice  toward  none,"  was  a 
declaration  of  his  heart.  The  principle  had  marked 
his  life,  give  emphasis  to  his  acts,  and  imbued 
all  his  politics.  That  such  a  man  could  have  a 
personal  enemy  is  incomprehensible,  and  seems 
totally  absurd,  until  explained  as  an  offshoot  of 
the  secession  malady  that  crazed  the  brains  of 
his  murderers,  and  fitted  them,  through  its  in- 
quisitorial tuition,  for  the  blackest  crime ;  and, 
however  matters  may  be  patched,  explained,  apol- 
ogized for  or  generally  befogged,  the  common  sense 
of  the  people  will  force  them  to  view  this  dam- 
ning act  only  as  the  grand  culmination  of  the 
teachings  of  secession. 

The  horrible  fact  of  the  assassination  of  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  needs    slight    comment   here.    The 


PREFACE.  X\ 

people  have  weighed  it  deliberately,  and  are 
calmly  waiting  for  results  that  shall  complete  its 
expiation.  They  demand  nothing  unreasonable, 
and  feel  that  the  crime  can  be  measured  by  no 
degree  of  punishment.  Developments  at  this  mo- 
ment in  progress  are  unraveling  the  dark  intri- 
cacies of  the  most  horrible  conspiracy  that  ever 
stained  our  annals,  and  throughout  the  land  the 
fervent  petition  for  Justice  ascends  to  Grod  from 
every  loyal  hamlet.  Whatever  the  sacrifice,  let 
justice  be  done. 

The  mighty  pilot  who  guided  our  nation's  bark 
through  •the  perilous  storm  in  safety,  is  cold  in 
his  grave,  and  the  genius  of  liberty  will  ever 
mourn  the  irreparable  loss.  Let  us  profit  by  his 
great  example,  and   strive   to   imitate  his   virtues. 


ABRAHAM   LINCOLN. 


SKETCH    OF    HIS    LIFE. 

Abraham  Lincoln  was  born  in  that  part  of  Hardin  county, 
Kentucky,  which  has  since  been  called  Larue.  His  remote 
ancestors  were  from  Berks  county,  Pennsylvania.  They  re- 
moved to  Eockingham  county,  "Virginia,  where  Abraham  the 
grandfather  and  Thomas  the  father  of  Mr.  Lincoln  were  bora. 
In  1780,  Abraham  Lincoln  settled  in  Kentucky,  which  was  at 
that  time  a  wilderness  filled  with  savages.  His  rude  cabin  was 
distant  two  or  three  miles  from  the  nearest  white  settler.  Life 
in  this  part  of  Kentucky  was  then  in  constant  danger.  The 
settler  carried  his  gun  and  axe  to  the  place  of  his  daily  labor,  the 
one  being  as  necessary  to  his  protection  as  the  other  fov  the 
purposes  of  work.  At  night  when  the  family  retired  to  rest. 
the  gun  was  always  placed  within  convenient  access. 

For  four  years,  Abraham  Lincoln  managed  to  escape,  while 

whole  families  in  the  immediate  vicinity  were  murdered  by  the 

Indians.     At  the  end  of  that  period,  while  engaged  one  day  in 

clearing  a  piece  of  land  aboi  t  four  miles  frem  home,  he  was 

suddenly  attacked  and  killed,  and  his   scalped  remains  were 

found  the  next  morning.     The  blow  fell  heavily  on  his  widow, 

who  was  now  alone  in  the  wilderness  with  her  three  sons  and 

two  daughters,  and  very  little  money  with  whieb  to  proeiare  the 
(a)  2 


22  LIFE     AND    MARTYRDOM 

necessities  of  life.  Compelled  by  poverty  to  separate,  all  the 
children  but  Thomas  left  the  county,  the  second  son  re- 
moving to  Indiana,  the  rest  to  other  j^arts  of  Kentucky. 
Thomas  at  the  age  of  twelve  also  left  home,  but  soon  returned 
to  K'eutucky,  and  in  the  year  1806  married  Miss  Nancy  Hanks, 
who  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  so  that  all  of  the  immediate  ances- 
tors of  the  President  were  born  on  Southern  soil.  Mrs.  Lincoln 
could  read  but  not  write,  while  her  husband  could  do  neither, 
except  to  scribble  his  name  in  a  style  which  only  some  of  his  most 
intimate  friends  could  decipher.  Eegretting  his  own  want  of 
culture,  he  fully  appreciated  the  advantages  of  education,  and 
honored  the  superior  learning  of  otliers.  He  was  noted  for  kind- 
nessof  heart  and  great  industry  and  perseverance.  Mrs,  Lincoln, 
although  possessed  of  no  education,  was  blessed  with  much 
natural  talent,  excellent  judgment  and  good  sense.  These  quali- 
fications, together  with  her  great  piety,  made  her  a  suitable 
partner  for  a  man  of  Thomas  Lincoln's  attributes.  She  was  a 
mother  whose  example  and  teaching  could  not  fail  to  be  of  vast 
benefit  in  the  formation  of  the  characters  of  her  children.  This 
estimable  couple  had  three  children — a  daughter,  a  son  who  died 
in  infancy,  and  Abraham  who  was  born  on  the  12th  of  February, 
1809.  The  sister  attained  the  years  of  womanhood  and  married, 
but  died  without  issue. 

Although  Southern  by  birth  and  residence,  Mr.  Lincoln 
early  became  imbued  with  a  disgust  for  slavery,  ^n  witnessing 
the  evils  of  the  "  peculiar  institution,"  he  longed  for  freedom 
from  the  disagreeable  effects  of  a  condition  of  society  which  made 
a  poor  white  man  even  more  degraded  than  the  negro.  Enter- 
taining these  sentiments  he  naturally  desired  to  change  his  place 
of  residence.  Early  in  October,  1816,  finding  a  purchaser  for 
bis  farm,  he  made  arrangements  for  the  transfer  of  the  property 


OF     ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  23 

and  for  his  removal.  Ten  barrels  of  whisky  of  forty  gallons  each 
formed  the  consideration  for  the  sale  of  the  farm,  and  although 
Mr.  Lincoln  was  a  temj)erate  man,  he  acceded  to  the  terms, 
because  such  transactions  were  common  and  regarded  as  proper. 
The  value  of  the  whisky  was  two  hundred  and  eighty  dollars 
and  twenty  cents  in  money. 

Mr.  Lincoln,  with  the  slight  assistance  little  Abe  could  give 
him,  prepared  a  flat-boat  and  was  soon  floating  down  the  Roll- 
ing Fork  river  with  his  household  goods,  tools  and  the  barrels  of 
whisky  on  his  way  to  Indiana.  After  he  had  left  the  Eolling 
Fork  and  reached  the  Ohio,  his  boat  was  upset  and  all  on  it 
thrown  into  the  river.  With  the  aseistance  of  some  men  on  the 
bank,  he  saved  the  boat  and  a  few  tools,  axes  and  three  barrels 
of  whisky.  Starting  once  more,  and  proceeding  to  a  well 
known  ferry  on  the  river,  he  was  guided  into  the  interior  by  a 
resident  of  the  section  of  country  in  which  he  had  landed,  to 
whom  he  gave  his  boat  in  payment  for  his  services.  He  traveled 
for  several  days  with  much  diflSculty,  most  of  the  time  being  em- 
ployed in  cutting  a  road  through  the  forest  wide  enough  for  a 
team,  and  at  the  end  of  eighteen  miles,  Spencer  county,  Indiana, 
was  reached.  The  site  of  the  new  home  being  determined  upon 
Mr.  Lincoln  returned  to  Kentucky  on  foot,  and  made  prepara- 
tions to  remove  his  family.  In  a  few  days  the  party  bade  fare- 
well to  their  old  home,  Mrs.  Lincoln  and  her  daughter  riding 
one  horse,  the  father  another  and  Abe  a  third.  After  seven 
days' journey  through  an  uninhabited  country,  their  resting  place 
at  night  being  a  blanket,  spread  upon  the  ground,  they  arrived 
at  the  spot  selected  for  their  residence,  and  no  unnecessary  delays 
were  permitted  to  interfere  with  the  immediate  and  successful 
clearing  of  a  site  for  a  cabin.  An  axe  was  placed  in  Abe's  hands, 
and,  with  a  neighbor's  assistance,  in  two  days  Mr.  Lincoln  had  a 


24  IIFEAXDMARTYKDOM 

house  of  about  eighteen  feet  square.  It  had  only  one  room,  but 
some  slabs  laid  across  logs  overhead  gave  additional  accommo- 
dations, which  were  reached  by  climbing  a  rough  ladder  in  one 
corner.  A  bed,  a  table  and  four  stools  were  then  made  by  the 
two  settlers,  father  and  son,  and  the  building  was  ready  for  oc- 
cupancy. The  loft  was  Abe's  bed  room,  and  there,  night  after 
night  for  many  years,  he  who  but  recently  occupied  the  most 
exalted  position  in  the  gift  of  the  American  peoj)le,  and  who 
dwelt  in  the  "White  House  at  "Washington,  suiTOunded  by  all  the 
comforts  that  wealth  and  power  could  give,  slumbei-ed  with  a 
coarse  blanket  for  his  mattress  and  another  for  his  coverings 
Abe  did  not,  through  the  long  winter,  neglect  his  reading  and 
spelling.  Before  leaving  Kentucky  he  had  attended  school, 
though  for  a  short  time  only.  He  also  practiced  with  the  rifle, 
and  became  a  shot  of  some  note,  much  to  the  delight  of  his  pa- 
rents. 

About  a  year  after  the  family  removed  to  Indiana,  Mrs. 
Lincoln  died.  Abe  felt  the  loss  keenly.  He  had  been  a  dutiful 
son,  and  she  the  most  devoted  of  mothers.  A  young  man,  soon 
after  Mrs.  Lincoln's  death,  offered  to  teach  Abe  writing.  The 
ojiportunity  was  fraught  with  too  much  benefit  to  be  rejected,  and 
after  a  few  weeks  practice,  under  eye  of  his  instructor  and  also 
out  of  doors  with  a  piece  of  chalk  or  charred  stick,  he  was  able 
to  write  his  name,  and  in  less  than  twelve  months  could  write  a 
letter. 

Mr.  Lincoln  married  during  the  next  year,  Mrs.  Sally  Job. iston 
of  Elizabeth  town ,  Kentucky,  a  widow  lady  ^ith  three  children. 
Between  this  lady  and  Abe  a  strong  attachment  spi'ung  up.  She 
was  every  way  calculated  to  supply  the  place  made  vacant  by 
the  death  of  Mrs.  Lincoln.  At  the  time  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  second 
marriage,  a  person  named  Crawford  moved  into  the  neighbor- 


OP    ABRAHAM     LIXCOLN.  iS 

hood  and  opened  a  school  to  which  Abe  was  sent.  At  this  school 
he  improved  very  much  in  reading  and  writing,  and  mastered 
arithmetic.  "  His  school-gart  comprised  a  suit  of  dressed  buck- 
skin and  a  cap  made  from  a  raccoon  skin."  He  took  an  unusual 
pride  in  his  studies,  and  close  application  and  a  retentive  memory 
made  him  a  favorite  scholar  with  this  teacher.  He  was  employed 
by  the  most  ignorant  settlers  as  their  scribe  whenever  they  had 
letters  to  write.  A  brief  period  at  this  school,  and,  to  use  a  com- 
mon phrase,  his  education  was  finished.  Six  months  of  instruc- 
tion within  the  walls  of  an  insignificant  schoolhouse  is  all  the 
education  that  Abraham  Lincoln  has  received  during  a  long  life- 
time. 

For  four  or  five  years  after  leaving  school,  or  until  he  was 
eighteen,  he  constantly  labored  in  the  woods  with  his  axe,  cutting 
down  ti'ees  and  splitting  rails,  and  during  the  evening,  read  such 
works  as  he  could  obtain  among  the  settlers.  A  year  after,  he  w&a 
hired,  by  a  man  living  near,  at  ten  dollars  a  month,  to  go  to  New 
Orleans  on  a  flat-boat,  loaded  with  stores,  which  were  destined 
for  sale  at  the  plantations  on  the  Mississippi  river,  near  the  Cre- 
scent city,  and  with  but  one  companion,  started  on  this  I'ather 
dangerous  journey.  At  night  they  tied  up  alongside  of  the  baak 
and  rested  upon  the  hard  deck,  with  a  blanket  for  a  covering, 
and  during  the  hours  of  light  whether  their  lonely  trip  \wis 
cheered  by  a  bright  sun,  or  made  disagreeable  in  the  extremely 
violent  storms,  their  craft  floated  down  the  stream,  its  helmsmen 
never  for  a  moment  losing  their  spirits,  or  regretting  their  acc^- 
tance  of  the  positions  they  occupied.  Nothing  occui-red  to  m-ar 
the  success  of  the  trip,  nor  the  excitement  naturally  incident  to 
a  flat-boat  expedition  of  some  eighteen  hundred  miles,  save  a 
midnight  attack  by  a  party  of  negroes,  who,  after  a  severe  am- 


26  LIBEANDMARTYKDOM 

flict,  were  whipped  by  Abe  and  bis  comrade,  and  compelled  to 
flee.  After  selling  their  goods  at  a  handsome  profit,  the  young 
merchants  returned  to  Indiana. 

Mr.  Lincoln  removed  to  Illinois  in  1830,  carrying  their  house-  * 
hold  articles  thither  in  large  wagons  drawn  by  oxen,  Abe  being 
the  driver  of  one  team.  In  two  weeks  they  reached  Decatur, 
Macon  County,  Illinois,  near  the  center  of  the  State,  and  in 
another  day,  were  on  a  tract  of  land  of  ten  acres,  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Sangamon  river,  about  ten  miles  west  of  Decatur, 
•  Immediately  after  their  arrival,  a  log  cabin  was  erected,  and 
Abe  commenced  to  split  the  rails  for  the  fence,  with  which  the 
place  was  to  be  enclosed.  As  a  rail  splitter,  a  tiller  of  the  soil, 
or  a  huntsman,  to  whose  gi'eat  accuracy  of  aim  the  family  depen- 
ded in  a  great  measure,  for  their  daily  food,  young  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  active,  earnest  and  laborious,  and  when  in  the  fol- 
lowing spring,  he  made  known  his  intention  to  leave  his  home, 
to  seek  his  fortune  among  strangers,  the  tidings  were  received 
by  his  parents  and  friends  with  the  most  profound  sorrow.  Pack- 
ing up  his  clothing,  he  started  westward,  and  engaged  to  work  on 
a  farm  in  Menard  county.  Here  he  remained  during  the  sum- 
mer and  winter,  at  the  same  time  improving  himself  in  reading, 
writing,  grammar  and  arithmetic.  Early  in  the  following  spring 
he  was  hired  by  a  man  named  OflFutt,  to  assist  in  taking  a  flat- 
boat  to  New  Orleans,  and  as  it  was  found  impossible  to  purchase 
a  suitable  boat,  Abe  lent  a  willing  and  industrious  hand  in  build- 
ing one  at  Sagamon,  from  whence,  when  completed,  it  was  float- 
ed into  the  Mississippi  river.  The  trip  was  made,  and  his 
employer  was  so  much  gratified  with  the  industry  and  tact  of 
his  hired  hand,  that  he  engaged  him  to  take  charge  of  his  mill 
and  store  in  the  village  of  New  Salem.     In  this  position,  Honest 


OFABRAHAMLINCOLN.  17 

Abe  as  he  was  now  called,  won  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all 
with  whom  he  had  business  dealings,  while  socially,  he  was  much 
beloved  by  the  residents,  young  and  old,  of  the  place. 

The  Black  Hawk  war  broke  out  in  the  early  pai't  of  the  fol- 
lowing year,  and  the  governor  of  Illinois  calling  for  troops,  Abe 
ofifered  his  services.  JEe  placed  his  name  first  on  the  roll  at  the 
recruiting  station  in  New  Salem,  and  by  his  influence  induced 
many  of  his  friends  and  companions  to  do  likewise.  A  company 
was  soon  formed,  and  Abe  was  unanimously  elected  captain. 
The  company  marched  to  Bardstown,  and  from  there  to  the  seat 
of  war;  but  during  their  term  of  enlistment — thirty  days — were 
not  called  into  active  service.  A  new  levy  was  then  called  for 
and  he  enlisted  as  a  private,  and  at  the  end  of  thirty  days  re- 
enlisted,  and  remained  with  hia  regiment  until  the  end  of  the  war. 

Soon  after  his  return  from  this  campaign,  he  was  waited  upon 
by  several  of  the  influential  citizens  of  New  Salem,  who  asked  him 
his  consent  to  nominate  him  for  the  Legislature.  He  had  been 
a  resident  of  the  county  only  nine  months  but  as  a  thorough- 
going "Henry  Clay  man"  was  needed,  he  was  deemed  the  most 
suitable  person  to  run.  There  were  eight  aspirants  for  the  legi«- 
tive  position,  but  although  he  received  two  hundred  and  seventy- 
seven  votes  out  of  two  hundred  and  eighty-four  cast  in  New  Salem 
he  was  not  elected,  the  successful  candidate  leading  by  a  few 
votes,  having  received  a  heavy  vote  in  the  country. 

He  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  soon  after  his  defeat, 
but  in  a  few  months  sold  out,  and  under  the  tuition  of  John  Cal- 
houn— in  later  years  connected  with  the  Lecompton  Convention 
— became  proficient  in  surveying,  an  occupation  which  for  more 
than  a  year  he  found  very  remunerative  for  a  novice.  He  w«8 
for  a  time  post-master  at  New  Salem. 


28  LIFE    ANDMAETTEDOM 

In  August,  1834,  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature,  and  in 
1836,  1838  and  1840  was  re-elected.  He  determined  to  become  a 
lawyer  while  attending  the  first  session  of  the  Legislature  to 
which  he  was  elected,  and  being  placed  in  possession  of  the 
necessary  books,  through  the  kindness  of  Hon.  John  T.  Stuart, 
applied  himself  to  study,  and  in  1836  was  admitted  to  practice  at 
the  bar.  He  became  a  partner  of  Mr.  Stuart  at  Springfield  in 
1837. 

In  March,  1837,  a  protest  was  presented  to  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives of  Illinois,  and  signed  by  Daniel  Stone  and  Abraham 
Lincoln,  Representatives  from  Sangamon  county.  This  is  the 
first  record  that  we  have  of  the  sentiments  of  Mr.  Lincoln  on 
the  slavery  question.  It  was  in  opposition  to  a  series  of  resolu- 
tions which  had  been  adopted,  taking  an  extreme  Southern  view 
of  slavery,  for  which  Mr.  Lincoln  refused  to  vote,  and  subse- 
quently handed  in  the  protest. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  a  "Whig  candidate  for  Presidential  elector  in 
every  campaign  from  1836  to  1852,  and  in  1844  he  stumped  the 
entire  State  of  Illinois  for  Henry  Clay,  and  going  into  Indiana 
spoke  daily  to  large  gatherings,  until  the  day  of  the  election. 
His  style  of  speaking  was  pleasing  to  the  masses  of  the  people, 
and  his  earnest  appeals  were  not  only  well  received,  but  were 
productive  of  much  benefit  to  his  favorite  candidate.  He  was  ac- 
customed, from  early  childhood,  to  the  habits  and  peculiarities  of 
all  kinds  of  people,  and  he  knew  exactly  what  particular  style 
of  language  best  suited  his  hearers,  and  the  result  was  that  he 
was  always  listened  to  with  a  degree  of  attention  and  interest 
which  few  political  speakers  received. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  elected  to  Congress  from  the  central  district 
of  Illinois  in  1846,  by  a  majority  of  over  1500  votes— the  largest 


OF     ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  29 

ever  given  in  that  district  for  a  candidate  opposed  to  *lie  Demo- 
cratic party.  Illinois  elected  seven  representatives  that  year 
and  all  were  Democrats  but  Mr.  Lincoln,  In  the  Whig  con- 
vention of  1848,  he  was  an  active  delegate,  and  earnestly  ad- 
vocated the  selection  of  General  Taylor  as  the  nominee  for 
the  Presidency. 

He  was  a  candidate  before  the  Legislature  of  Illinois  for  U. 
S,  Senator,  but  his  political  opponents  were  in  the  majority,  and 
General  Shields  was  chosen.  From  that  time  till  1854,  he  con- 
fined himself  to  his  profession.  In  the  latter  year  he  again  en- 
tered the  political  field  and  battled  indefatigably  in  the  celebra- 
ted campaign  which  resulted  in  victory  for  the  first  time  to  the 
opposition  of  the  Democratic  party  in  Illinois.  During  the  can- 
vass Mr.  Lincoln  was  frequently  brought  into  controversy  upon 
the  stand  with  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  One  of  the  discussions 
that  was  held  on  the  fourth  of  October,  1854,  during  the  pro- 
gress of  the  Annual  State  Fair,  being  remarkable  as  the  great 
discussion  of  the  campaign. 

On  the  second  of  June,  1858,  the  Eepublican  State  Conven- 
tion met  at  Springfield,  and  nominated  Mr.  Lincoln  as  their 
candidate  for  the  United  States  Senate.  The  contest  which 
followed  was  one  of  the  most  exciting  and  remarkable  ever 
witnessed  in  this  country.  Mr.  Douglas  his  opponent,  had 
few  superiors  as  a  political  debater,  and  while  he  had  made 
many  enemies,  by  his  course  upon  the  Nebraska  bill,  his  per- 
sonal popularity  had  been  greatly  increased  by  his  indepen- 
dence, and  by  the  opposition  manifested  to  him  by  the  Ad- 
ministration. 

During  the  campaign  Mr.  Lincoln  spoke  thus  of  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence : 

"  These  communities,  (the  thirteen  colonies,)  by  their  repre* 


30  LIFEANDMAETTRDOM 

sentatives  in  old  Independence  Hall,  said  to  the  world  of  men, 
'  We  hold  these  truths  to  be  self-evident  that  all  men  are  born 
equal ;  that  they  ai-e  endowed  by  their  Creator  with  inalienable 
rights ;  that  among  these  are  life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of 
happiness.'  This  was  their  majestic  interpretation  of  the  econ- 
omy of  the  universe.  This  was  their  lofty,  wise  and  noble  un- 
derstanding of  the  justice  of  the  Creator  to  His  creatures.  Yes, 
gentlemen,  to  all  His  creatures,  to  the  whole  great  family  of 
man.  In  their  enlightened  belief,  nothing  stamped  with  the 
Divine  image  and  likeness,  was  sent  into  the  world  to  be  trod- 
den on  and  degraded  and  imbruted  by  its  fellows.  They  grasp- 
ed not  only  the  race  of  men  then  living,  but  they  reached  for- 
ward and  seized  upon  the  furthest  posterity.  They  created  a 
beacon  to  guide  their  children,  and  their,  children's  children, 
and  the  countless  myriads  who  should  inhabit  the  earth  in  other 
ages.  Wise  statesmen  as  they  were,  they  knew  the  tendency  of 
prosperity  to  breed  tyrants,  and  so  they  established  these  great 
self-evident  truths  that  when  in  the  distant  future  some  man, 
some  faction,  some  interest,  should  set  up  the  doctrine  that  none 
but  rich  men,  or  none  but  white  men,  or  none  but  Anglo-Saxon 
white  men,  were  entitled  to  life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  hap- 
piness their  posterity  might  look  up  again  to  the  Declaration 
of  Independence,  and  take  courage  to  renew  the  battle  which 
their  fathers  began,  so  that  truth  and  justice  and  mercy, 
and  all  the  humane  and  christian  virtues,  might  not  be 
extinguished  from  the  land,  so  that  no  man  would,  here- 
after, dare  to  limit  and  circumscribe  the  great  principles 
on  which   the   temple   of  liberty  was  being  built. 

"  Now,  my  countrymen,  if  you  have  been  taught  doc- 
trines conflicting  with  the  great  landmarks  of  the  Declara- 
tion   of   Independence,  if  you  have    listened  to    suggestions 


OFABRAHAMLINCOLN.  31 

which  would  take  away  from  its  grandeur,  and  mutilate  the 
fair  symmetry  of  its  proportions,  if  you  have  been  in- 
clined to  believe  that  all  men  are  not  created  equal  in 
those  inalienable  rights  enumerated  by  our  chax't  of  liberty, 
let  me  entreat-  you  to  come  back,  return  to  the  fountain 
whose  waters  spring  close  by  the  blood  of  the  Eevolutiou. 
Think  nothing  of  me,  take  no  thought  for  the  political 
fate  of  any  man  whomsoever,  but  come  back  to  the  truths 
that  are   in  the  Declai'ation  of  Independence. 

"You  may  do  any  thing  with  me  you  choose,  if  you  will 
but  heed  these  sacred  principles.  You  may  not  only  de- 
feat me  for  the  Senate,  but  you  may  take  me  and  put 
me  to  death.  While  pretending  no  indifference  to  earthly 
honors,  I  do  claim  to  be  actuated  in  this  contest  by  some- 
thing higher  than  an  anxiety  for  office.  I  charge  you  to 
drop  every  paltry  and  insignificant  thought  for  any  man's 
success.  It  is  nothing,  I  am  nothing.  Judge  Douglas  is 
nothing.  But  do  not  destroy  that  immortal  emblem  of  humanity, 
the  Declaration  of  American  Independence." 

The  election  day  at  length  arrived,  and  although  the  efforts  of 
Mr.  Lincoln  resulted  in  an  immense  increase  of  EeiDublican  votes, 
whatever  aspirations  he  had  for  personal  success  were  frustra- 
ted. A  vote  of  .126,084  was  cast  for  the  Eejjublican  candidates, 
121,940  for  the  Douglas  Democrats  and  5,091  for  the  Lecompton 
candidates,  but  Mr.  Douglas  was  elected  United  States  Senator 
by  the  Legislature,  in  which  his  supporters  had  a  majority  of 
eight  on  joint  ballot. 

On  the  sixteenth  of  May,  1860,  the  Eepublican  National  Con- 
vention assembled  in  Chicago,  for  the  ])urj)Ose  of  nominating 
candidates  for  the  Presidency  and  Vice-Presidency.  On  the 
third  ballot  Mr.  Lincoln  came  within  one  of  being  nominated, 


32  LIFE     AND     MAETTEDOM 

One  of  the  delegates  then  changed  four  votes  of  his  State,  giving 
them  to  Mr.  Lincoln,  thus  nominating  him. 

On  the  sixth  of  November,  1860,  the  election  for  President 
took  place  with  the  following  result.  Mr.  Lincoln  received 
491275  votes  over  Mr.  Douglas;  1,018,499  over  Mr.  Breckin- 
rido-e  and  1,275,821  over  Mr.  Bell;  and  the  vote  was  subsequent- 
ly proclaimed  by  Congress  as  follows : 

For  Abraham  Lincoln,  of  Illinois 180 

For  John  C.  Breckinridge,  of  Kentucky 72 

For  John  Bell,  of  Tennessee 39 

For  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  of  Illinois 12 


IKCEPTION   OF   THE   PLOT 


A  leading  officer  of  the  Buchanan  Administration  received,  on 
the  first  of  January,  1861,  a  letter  from  a  friend,  a  gentleman  of 
Southern  sympathies  living  in  Baltimore,  in  which  among  other 
things,  it  was  stated  that  twelve  thousand  men  were  already  en- 
rolled and  organized  in  that  city,  bound  by  the  most  solemn 
oaths,  to  do  the  bidding  of  their  leaders,  whose  purpose  was  to 
march  them  against  Washington,  capture  it,  and  with  such  re- 
inforcements as  they  could  get  from  the  south,  hold  it,  not  only 
to  prevent  the  inauguration  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  but  in  order  to  make 
it  the  capital  of  the  future  Southern  Republic.  Still  darker 
threats  than  this,  the  letter  stated,  were  whispered  about,  being 
nothing  less  than  the  assassination  of  Mr.  Lincoln  and  Mr.  Ham- 
lin. At  that  time,  it  is  well  known,  bets  were  freely  made  in 
the  streets  of  Washington  that  Mr.  Lincoln  would  never  be  in- 
augurated as  President  of  the  United  States.  These  stories  were 
shortly  after  denied,  but  subsequent  events  prove  that  they  have 
some  foundation. 

On  the  11th  of  February,  Mr.  Lincoln  left  his  home  in  Spring- 
field, Illinois,  on  his  way  to  Washington.  A  large  number  of 
people  assembled,  to  pay  him  a  token  of  respect  before  his  depar- 
ture. The  moment  was  a  solemn  one.  The  reports  of  threat- 
ened assassination,  forcible  prevention  of  the  inauguration,  and 
the  like,  had  reached  his  ears,  as  well  as  those  of  his  townsmen. 
His  speech  was  short  but  affecting.     He  said : 

(33) 


34  LIFE    AND    MARTYRDOM 

"  My  fi'iends  :  No  one  in  my  position  can  appreciate  the  sad- 
ness I  feel  at  this  parting.  To  this  people  I  owe  all  that  I  am, 
Here  I  have  lived  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century;  here  my 
children  were  born,  and  here  one  of  them  lies  buried.  I  know 
not  how  I  shall  see  you  again.  A  duty  devolves  upon  me 
which  is  greater,  perhaps,  than  that  which  devolved  upon  any 
other  man  since  the  days  of  Washington.  He  never  would  have 
succeeded  except  for  the  aid  of  Divine  Providence,  upon  which 
he  at  all  times  relied.  I  feel  that  I  cannot  succeed  without  the 
same  Divine  aid  which  sustained  him,  and  on  the  same  Almighty 
Being  I  place  my  reliance  for  support;  and  I  hope  you,  my 
friends,  will  all  pray  that  I  may  receive  that  Divine  assistance 
without  which  I  cannot  succeed,  but  with  which  success  is  cer- 
tain.    Again  I  bid  you  all  an  affectionate  farewell." 

During  this  speech  Mr.  Lincoln  betrayed  much  emotion,  and 
hundreds  in  the  crowd  were  affected  to  tears ;  cries  of  "  We  will 
pray  for  you,  "  "be  just  and  have  no  fear"  were  heard,  and  a 
feeling  of  deep  solemnity  settled  over  the  whole  assemblage. 

Leaving  Springfield  Mr.  Lincoln  proceeded  by  easy  passages 
to  Indianapolis,  Cincinnati,  Columbus,  Pittsburgh,  Cleveland, 
Buffalo,  Albany  and  New  York.  At  all  these  places  he  was 
warmly  received.  Having  been  welcomed  to  the  city  in  the 
presence  of  the  Common  Council  of  New  York,  by  Mayor  Wood, 
he  replied : 

"  Mr.  Mayor : — It  is  with  feelings  of  deep  gratitude  that  I 
make  my  acknowledgment  for  the  reception  which  is  given  me 
in  the  great  commercial  city  of  New  York.  I  cannot  but  remem- 
ber that  this  is  done  by  people  who  do  not  by  a  majority  agree 
with  me  in  political  sentiment.  It  is  more  grateful  because  in 
this  I  see  that  for  the  great  principles  of  our  Government  the 
people  are  nearly  all  or  quite  unanimous.    In  regard  to  the  diffl- 


OFABRAHAMLINOOLN.  36 

culties  that  confront  us  at  this  time,  and  of  which  your  Honor 
has  thought  fit  to  speak  so  becomingly  and  so  justly,  as  I  sup- 
pose, I  can  only  say  that  I  agree  in  the  sentiments  expressed  by 
the  Mayor. 

"  In  my  devotion  I  hope  I  am  behind  no  man  in  the  Union. 
But  as  for  the  wisdom  with  which  to  conduct  the  affairs  tending 
to  the  preservation  of  the  Union,  I  fear  that  too  great  confidence 
may  have  been  reposed  in  me.  I  am  sure  I  bring  a  devoted  heart 
to  the  work.  There  is  nothing  that  could  ever  bring  me  to  con- 
sent, willingly,  to  the  destruction  of  this  Union,  under  which, 
not  only  the  great  commercial  city  of  New  York  but  the  whole 
country  has  acquired  its  greatness,  unless  it  were  to  be  for  that 
thing  for  which  the  Union  itself  was  made.  I  understand  the 
ship  to  be  made  for  the  carrying  of  the  cargo,  and  so  long  as  the 
ship  can  be  sailed  with  the  cargo  it  should  never  be  abandoned. 
This  Union  should  never  be  abandoned  unless  it  fails,  and  the 
possibility  of  its  preservation  shall  cease  to  exist,  without  throw- 
ing passengers  and  cargo  overboard.  So  long,  then,  as  it  is 
possible  that  the  prosperity  and  libei'ties  of  this  people  can  be 
preserved  in  the  Union  it  shall  be  my  purpose  at  all  times 
to  preserve  it.  And  now,  Mr.  Mayor,  again  thanking  you 
for  the  reception  which  has  been  given  me,  allow  me  to 
draw  to  a  close." 

During  this  day  (February  20th)  reports  of  the  threatened 
assassination  of  the  President  were  circulated  in  the  streets. 
At  Newark,  N.  J.,  a  handbill  was  circulated,  calling  upon 
unemployed  working-men  to  attend  at  the  depot  on  Mr. 
Lincoln's  arrival  at  that  city,  and  "  demonstrate  their  dif- 
ferences"  with   him. 

A  meeting  was  held  in  the  evening,  and  a  large  number 
3 


36  LIFEANDMAETYRDOM 

of  persons  volunteered  for  a  cavalry  escort.  At  Trenton 
a  large  additional  police  force  was  put  on  duty  to  preserve 
order.  No  distui-bance  took  place  however.  Mr.  Lincoln 
arrived  at  Philadelphia  on  the  evening  of  the  2l8t,  and  was 
enthusiastically  received,  as  he  had  been  at  Newark,  Rahway, 
New  Brunswick,  Princeton,  Trenton,  and  other  points  along 
the  route.  Leaving  Philadelphia  on  the  morning  of  the 
22d,  he  reached  Harrisburgh  in  the  happiest  manner  by  the 
authorities  and  people  of  the  city.  Here,  for  the  first  time, 
rumors  began  to  avail  of  persons  being  colluded  togethe ' 
for  some  evil  purpose. 

The  committee  of  arrangements  at  Harrisburg  learninf ' 
on  creditable  authority,  that  in  all  probability  an  attemp'' 
would  be  made  on  the  President's  life  at  Baltimore,  da 
bated  the  question  of  the  manner  of  his  passage — whether  Ivv 
should  pass  from  depot  to  depot,  or  go  by  a  route  whicl 
avoided  change  of  cars.  Finally  it  was  arranged  to  leave 
Harrisburgh  at  6  o'clock  in  the  evening,  arriving  at  Balti- 
more and  Washington  at  hours  different  from  those  hereto- 
fore announced.  Accordingly  Mr.  Lincoln  left  Harrisburgh 
at  the  time  secretly  determined  upon.  The  plan  of  action 
which  was  successfully  carried  out  was  this.  Speeches  and 
receptions  were  to  be  kej5t  up  all  the  afternoon;  special 
trains  were  arranged,  the  telegraph  silenced,  and  men  were 
Btationed  to  cut  the  wires  if  necessary:  and  upon  the  arrival 
in  Baltimore,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  to  be  conveyed  through  the 
city  in  a  close  carriage.  The  plan  was  laid  before  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, and  it  is  said  he  indignantly  rejected  it.  Mrs.  Lincoln 
begged  of  him  to  go,  and  Governor  Curtin  and  other  in- 
fluential men  also  entreated  him  to  adopt  the  plan.     He  was 


OF     ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  3f 

assured  that  he  would  certainly  be  assassinated  if  ho  fol- 
lowed the  original  programme ;  and  it  is  said  that  Mrs. 
Lincoln's  tears,  and  the  arguments  of  his  friends  finally 
persuaded  him  to  adopt  the  proposed  course.  He  proceeded 
to  Baltimore  by  a  special  express  train,  passed  through  the 
city  unobserved,  and  reached  Washington  at  6  o'clock  on 
the  morning  of  the  24th.  The  train  containing  Mrs.  Lin- 
coln and  the  rest  of  the  Presidental  party  left  Harrisburgh 
at  the  time  publicly  announced.  When  it  reached  Balti- 
more a  vast  crowd  iiad  assembled  to  meet  it ;  but  it  had 
got  abroad  that  Mr.  Lincoln  had  already  passed  through 
the  city,  and  the  train  was  saluted  with  groans  and  hisses. 
No   violence   was  offered,   however. 

It  is  well  here  to  state,  in  justice  to  the  character  of  our 
murdered  President,  that  the  story  published  in  the  telegraphic 
dispatches  of  the  New  York  Times,  on  the  24th  of  February, 
that  Mr.  Lincoln  passed  from  Harrisburgh  to  Washington  at- 
tired in  a  "  Scotch  plaid  cap  and  very  long  military  cloak,  so 
that  he  was  entirely  unrecognizable,"  was  utterly  false.  It 
was  made  out  of  whole  cloth  by  a  sensation  reporter  whose 
recent  familiarity  with  Presidential  attributes  is  fresh  in  the 
minds  of  the  public.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  very  much  opposed  to 
any  concealment,  but  his  opinion  was  overborne  by  that  of 
undoubted  personal  and  political  friends.  When  he  did  gO, 
however,  he  made  no  change  in  his  costume,  and  no  attempt 
at    concealment. 

The  features  of  the  Baltimore  plot  have  never  been  per- 
fectly made  clear.  Innumerable  rumors  prevailed  at  the  time, 
some  of  them  doubtless  founded  on  fact,  others  simply  absurd. 
On  the  evening  of  the  21st  of  February,  1861,  Secretary  (then 


3g-  LIFE    AND     MARTYRDOM 

Senator)  Seward  received  official  intelligence  from  General 
Scott,  that  a  most  diabolical  plot  had  been  successfully  ar- 
ranged on  the  jjart  of  a  secret  organization  in  Baltimore  to 
assassinate  the  President-elect  on  his  arrival  at  that  city.  Mr 
Seward  communicated  this  intelligence  to  a  few  private  frienda, 
and  it  was  determined  to  despatch  a  message  at  once  *<* 
Philadelphia  to  inform  Mr,  Lincoln  of  the  fact.  On  being 
told  of  it,  the  intended  victim  replied  that  he  had  heard  the 
same  thing  from  other  sources,  giving  the  Baltimore  chief  of 
police  as  one  authority.  The  plot  was  to  throw  the  Presi- 
dential train  off  the  track  by  a  torpedo  placed  conveniently  tc 
some  high  embankment,  or  failing  in  this,  to  mob  and  as- 
sassinate Mr.  Lincoln  on  his  arrival  in  Baltimore,  the  con- 
spirators to  surround  the  depot,  armed  with  knife  or  pistol. 
Ten  or  fifteen  men  were  said  to  have  been  prepared  to  com- 
plete the  work,  and  it  is  reported  that  a  vessel  was. lying  in 
the  harbor  ready  to  convey  the  murderers  to  Mobile.  The 
following  account  is  taken  from  a  souice  every  way  worthy 
of   credit. 

"Some  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  friends  having  heard  that  a  con- 
spiracy existed  to  assassinate  him  on  his  way  to  Washing- 
ton, set  on  foot  an  investigation  of  the  matter.  For  this 
purpose  they  employed  a  detective  of  great  experience,  "who 
•was  engaged  at  Baltimore  in  the  business  some  three  weeks 
prior  to  Mr.  Lincoln's  expected  arrival  there,  employing 
both  men  and  women  to  assist  him.  Shortly  after  coming 
to  Baltimore  the  detective  discovered  a  combination  of  men 
banded  together  under  a  solemn  oath  to  assassinate  the  Presi- 
dent-elect. The  leader  of  the  consj)iracy  was  an  Italian 
refugee,  a  barber,  well-known  in  Baltimore,  who  assumed  the 


OFABRAHAMLINCOLN.  W 

name  of  Orsini  as  indicative  of  the  part  he  was  to  perform. 
The  assistants  employed  by  the  detective,  who,  like  himself, 
were  strangers  in  Baltimore  city,  by  assuming  to  be  Seces- 
sionists from  Louisiana  and  other  seceding  States,  gained  the 
confidence  of  some  of  the  conspirators,  and  were  intrusted 
with  their  plans.  It  was  arranged  in  case  Mr.  Lincoln  should 
pass  safely  over  the  railroad  to  Baltimore,  that  the  conspii-a- 
tors  should  mingle  with  the  crowd  which  might  surround 
his  carriage,  and  by  pretending  to  be  his  friends,  be  en- 
abled to  approach  his  jDerson,  when,  upon  a  signal  from 
their  leader,  some  of  them  would  shoot  at  Mr.  Lincoln 
with  their  pistols,  and  would  throw  into  his  carriage  hand- 
grenades  filled  with  detonating  powder,  similar  to  those 
used  in  the  attempted  assassination  of  the  Emperor  Louis 
Napoleon.  It  was  intended  that  in  the  confVision  which 
should  result  from  this  attack,  the  assailants  would  escape 
to  a  vessel,  which  was  waiting  in  the  harbor  to  receive 
them,  and  be  carried  to  Mobile,  in  the  seceding  State  of 
Alabama. 

"Upon  Mr.  Lincoln's  arrival  in  Philadelphia,  upon  Thurs- 
day, the  21st  day  of  February,  a  detective  visited  Phila- 
delphia, and  submitted  to  certain  friends  of  the  President- 
elect the  information  he  had  collected  as  to  the  conspira- 
tors and  their  plans.  An  interview  was  immediately  ar- 
rlinged  between  Mr.  Lincoln  and  the  detective.  The  in* 
terview  took  place  in  Mr.  Lincoln's  room,  in  the  Continen 
tal  Hotel,  where  he  was  staying  during  his  visit  to  Phila 
delphia. 

"  Mr.   Lincoln,    having    heard    the    officer's    statement,   in 
formed  him   that  he  had  promised    to    raise    the    America: 


40  LIFE     AND    MAKTYKDOM 

flag  on  Independence  Hall  the  next  morning — the  morning 
of  the  anniversary  of  Washington's  Birthday — and  that  he 
had  accepted  the  invitation  of  the  Pennsylvania  Legisla- 
ture to  be  publicly  received  by  that  body  in  the  after- 
noon of  the  same  day.  '  Both  of  these  engagements,'  said 
he,  with  emphasis,  '  I  will  keep,  if  it  costs  me  my  life. 
If,  however,  after  I  have  concluded  these  engagements,  you 
can  take  me  in  safety  to  Washington,  I  will  place  myself  at 
your  disposal,  and  authorize  you  to  make  such  arrange- 
ments as  you  may  deem  proper  for  that  purpose.' 

"  On  the  next  day  in  the  morning  Mr,  Lincoln  performed 
the  ceremony  of  raising  the  American  flag  on  Independence 
Hall  in  Philadelphia  according  to  his  promise,  and  arrived  at 
Harrisburg  on  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day;  when  he  was 
formally  welcomed  by  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature.  After 
the  reception  he  retired  to  his  hotel,  the  Jones'  House,  and 
withdrew  with  a  few  confidential  friends  to  a  private  apart- 
ment. Here  he  remained  until  nearly  six  o'clock  the  next 
morning,  when  in  company  with  Colonel  Lamon,  he  quietly 
entered  a  carriage  without  observation,  and  was  driven  to 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  where  a  special  train  for  Phila- 
delphia was  waiting  for  him.  Simultaneously  with  his  de- 
parture from  Harrisburg  the  telegraph  wires  were  cut,  so 
that  his  departure,  if  it  should  become  known,  might  not  be 
communicated  at  a  distance. 

"  The  special  train  arrived  in  Philadelphia  at  a  quarter  be- 
fore 11  o'clock  at  night.  Here  he  was  met  by  the  detec- 
tive who  had  a  carriage  in  readiness  into  which  the  party 
entered,  and  were  driven  to  the  depot  of  the  Philadelphia 
Wilmington,   and   Baltimore   Railroad. 


OP     ABRAHAM    LINCOL  IT.  41 

"  They  did  not  reach  the  depot  until  a  quarter  past  11 ; 
but  fortunately  for  them,  the  regular  train,  the  hour  of 
which  for  starting  was  11,  had  been  delayed.  The  party 
then  took  berths  in  the  sleeping-car,  and  without  change 
of  cars  passed  directly  through  to  Washington,  where  they 
arrived  at  the  usual  hour,  6^  o '  clock  on  the  morning  of 
Saturday,  the  23d.  Mr.  Lincoln  wore  no  disguise  whatever, 
but  journeyed    in    an   ordinary   traveling-dress. 

"It  is  proper  to  state  here  that  prior  to  Mr.  Lincoln'g 
arrival  in  Philadelphia,  General  Scott  and  Senator  Seward  in 
Washington  had  been  apprised  from  independent  sources  that 
imminent  danger  threatened  Mr.  Lincoln  in  case  he  should 
publicly  pass  through  Baltimore,  and  accordingly  a.  special 
messenger,  Mr.  Frederick  W.  Seward,  was  dispatched  to  Phil- 
adelphia to  urge  Mr.  Lincoln  to  come  direct  to  Washington 
in  a  quiet  manner.  The  messenger  arrived  in  Philadelphia 
late  on  Thursday  night,  and  had  an  interview  with  the  Pres- 
ident-elect immediately  subsequent  to  his  interview  with  the 
detective.  He  was  informed  that  Mr.  Lincoln  would  arrive 
by  the  early  train  on  Saturday  morning,  and,  in  accordance 
with  this  information,  Mr..  Washburne,  member  of  Congress 
from  Illinois,  awaited  the  President-elect  at  the  depot  in  Wash- 
ington, whence  he  was  taken  in  his  carriage  to  his  quarters 
in  Willard's  Hotel,  where  Secretary  Seward  stood  ready  to 
receive   him. 

"  The  detective  traveled  with  Mr.  Lincoln  under  the  name 
of  E.  J.  Allen,  which  name  was  registered  with  the  President- 
elect in  the  book  at  Willard's  Hotel.  Being  a  well-known 
individual,  he  was  speedily  recognized,  and  suspicion  naturally 
arose  that  he  had  been  instrumental  in  exposing  the  plot  which 
caused  Mr.  Lincoln's  hurried  journey.      It   was  deemed  prudent 


4St  LIFEANDMAKTYRDOM 

that  he  should  leave  Washington  two  days  after  his  arrival 
although  he  had  intended  to  remain  and  witness  the  ceremon- 
ies   of  inaugeration. 

"  After  the  discovery  of  the  plot,  a  strict  watch  was  kept 
by  the  agents  of  detection  over  the  movements  of  the  con- 
spirators, and  efficient  measures  were  adopted  to  guard  against 
any  attack  which  they  might  meditate  upon  the  President- 
elect  until   he   was   installed  in  office. 

"  Mr.  Lincoln's  family  left  Harrisburgh  for  Baltimore,  on 
their  way  to  Washington,  in  the  special  train  intended  for 
him ;  and,  as  before  starting,  a  message  announcing  Mr.  Lin- 
coln's departure  and  arrival  at  Washington  had  been  telegraphed 
to  Baltimore  over  wires  which  had  been  repaired  that  morn- 
ing,  the   passage    through    Baltimore   was   safely    eflfected. 

"  The  remark  of  Mr.  Lincoln  during  the  ceremony  of  rais- 
ing the  flag  on  Independence  Hall  on  Friday  morning,  that 
he  would  assert  his  principles  on  his  inaugeration,  although 
he  were  to  be  assassinated  on  the  spot,  had  evident  reference 
to  the  communication  made  to  him  by  the  detective  on  the 
night   preceding. 

"  The  number  originally  ascertained  to  be  banded  together 
for  the  assassination  of  Mr.  Lincoln  was  twenty,  but  the  num- 
ber of  those  who  were  fully  apprised  ef  the  details  of  the 
plot  became  daily  smaller  as  the  time  for  executing  it  drew 
near. 

"  Some  of  the  women  employed  by  the  detective  went  to 
serve  as  waiters,  seamstresses,  etc.,  in  the  families  of  the  con- 
spirators, and  a  record  was  regularly  kept  of  what  was  said 
and  done  to  further  their  enterprise.  A  record  was  also  kept 
by   the  detective  of  their  deliberations  in  secret  conclave.      The 


OFABRAHAMLIXOOLN.  W 

detect!  v^e   and   his   agents   regularly   contributed    money   to    pay 
the   expenses   of  the  conspiracy." 

Threats  were  made  after  ]\Ii\  Lincoln's  first  inaugeratlon. 
It  is  well  known,  that  he  reached  Washington  in  safety,  but 
the  secession  element  vastly  predominated  at  the  Capital,  and 
threats  of  violence  to  the  President-elect  and  to  Mr.  Hamlin 
and  of  the  forcible  suspension  of  the  inaugeration,  were  neither 
few  nor  secret.  The  city  was  filled  with  rebels  who  pro- 
claimed their  geeotiments  boldly  in  the  streets,  and  hinted 
violence  to  the  Executive.  National  airs  were  hissed  down  in 
public  places  of  amusement,  loyal  men  were  assaulted  on  the 
avenue,   and    cheers  for  Jeff.  Davis  were   of   common  occurrence. 

For  some  time  previous  to  the  inaugeration  there  had  been 
threats  of  bloodshed  on  that  occasion  and  the  military  author- 
ities taxed  their  brains  for  devices  to  prevent  any  such  catas- 
trophe. Greneaal  Scott  made  every  preparation  for  fighting 
The  volunteer  organizations  in  the  procession  were  supplied 
with  cartridges ;  sharpshooters  were  posted  at  convenient  spots 
along  the  avenue  and  on  the  roofs  of  buildings,  and  at  the 
market  house  a  small  force  of  infantry  was  posted  for  the 
support  of  the    riflemen    in    that  vicinity. 

The  batteries  of  Magruder  and  Fry  were  at  the  corner  of 
Delaware  Avenue  and  B  street,  ready  for  action ;  the  gunners 
and  drivers  remaining  at  ther  posts  throughout  the  ceremon- 
ies. General  Scott  in  the  meantime  kept  his  scouts  busily 
occupied  visiting  all  parts  ef  the  dense  crowd,  and  watching 
for  the  first  indications  of  trouble.  The  day  passed  off  how- 
ever quietly.  But  the  feverish  anxiety  of  that  morning,  and 
the  certainty  of  terrible  bloodshed  following  any  riotous  d«- 
monstrations,   created   impressions    on   the   minds   of    those   who 


44  LIFE     AND     MARTYRDOM 

■were  present,  that  will  probably  never  be  erased.  The  com- 
mandant Magruder  of  one  of  those  batteries  referred  to,  left 
Washington  a  few  days  after  and  isubsequently  was  made  a 
general  by  the  rebels.  Despite  all  the  plans  to  the  contrary 
the  inaugeration  happily  passed  off  without  the  occurrence  of 
any  scenes  of  violence  of  a  similar  character,  the  fighting  being 
confined    to    drunken    partisans    in    the   street. 

Since  1861,  Mr.  Lincoln  has  rarely,  if  ever,  appeared  in 
public  without  a  sufficient  escort,  one  company  of  cavalry 
being  inevitable  in  attendance.  Of  late,  however,  it  has  been 
thought  that  precaution  was  not  so  absolutely  necessary,  and 
in  the  visit  to  the  theatre  at  which  it  was  destined  he  should 
be  murdered,  he  was  accompanied  by  no  person  save  members 
of  his  own  family  and  one  officer  of  the  army.  However, 
great  danger  is  known  to  be,  after  a  time  we  became  indiff- 
erent to  it  and  neglect  precautions  that  were  at  first  deemed 
necessary.  Not  only  was  it  all  important  that  there  should  be 
a  guard  in  constant  attendance  on  the  President,  but  so  long 
as  there  was  the  least  reason  for  suspicion  of  plots  to  destroy 
him,  every  effort  ought  to  have  been  made  to  ferret  out  the  schem- 
ers and  bring  them  to  justice,  that  an  example  be  made.  Had 
desperadoes  been  made  to  feel  that  so  sure  as  they  were  dis- 
covered in  any  such  undertakings,  punishment  the  most  severe 
was  to  follow,  few  would  design  a  conspiracy  and  none  poss- 
ibly   attempt    to    execute. 

The  last  inaugeration,  however,  did  not  pass  off  without  a 
due  proportion  of  rumors ;  and,  amongst  these  was  one  that 
something  was  going  on,  indicating  that  trouble  was  anticipated 
from  some  undeveloped  quarter.  Rumor  had  it  that  all  the 
roads   leading    to    Washington    had   been    heavily    picketed    for 


OPABRAHAMLINCOLN.  45 

Bome  days,  and  the  bridges  guarded  with  extra  vigilance,  as 
if  on  the  watch  for  suspicious  characters.  Also,  that  the 
Eighth  Illinois  Cavalry  had  been  pushed  out  from  Fairfax 
Court  House,  on  an  active  scouting  expedition,  as  if  in  search 
of  some  of  the  same  suspicious  characters ;  and  further,  that 
undue  proportion  of  hard  cases,  in  grizzled  costume,  were  to 
be  seen  upon  the  streets,  indicating  something  pertending. 
But  as  the  day  wore  on  in  tranquillity,  all  fears  were  dissi- 
pated. For  the  purpose  of  preserving  order,  the  military  pat- 
rols were  doubled,  and  made  more  frequent  rounds  of  the 
streets  than  usual.  But  notwithstanding  the  large  number  of 
strangers  in  the  city,  good  order  prevailed  and  but  few  arrests 
were   made   by   the   military    or  police   authorities. 

On  the  7th  of  March,  in  the  present  year,  a  man  named 
Clemens  was  arrested  in  Washington,  chargee  with  having 
contemplated  the  assassination  of  the  President.  The  facts 
in  the  case  are  as  follows : — Clemens  and  another  person 
came  from  Alexandria  on  inaugeration  day.  They  were  both 
extremely  disorderly,  and  seemed  to  have  been  drinking  freely. 
Clemens,  in  particulai',  was  very  abusive.  He  said,  using 
gross  and  profane  language,  that  he  came  to  Washington  to 
kill  the  President;  that  he  was  late  by  about  one-half  hour, 
and  that  his  Saviour  would  never  forgive  him  for  failing  to 
do  so  ;  that  he  would  do  it  that  night,  namely,  the  4th  day 
of  March ;  and  that  he  came  expressly  to  do  it,  and  he  would 
do  it  before  he  left  town.  He  furthermore  said  that  the 
Government  has  robbed  him  of  a  certain  sum  of  money.  This 
was  the  substance  of  an  affidavit.  Clemens  was  turned  over 
from  the  military  to  the  civil  authorities,  and  was  committed 
to  jail   for  trial   by   the   Court.        Afterward    he    was    released, 


46  LIFEANDMARTYRDOM 

as  having  been  completely  under  the  influence  of  liquor  at 
the  time  the  alleged  threats  were  made,  that  he  did  not 
know  what  he  said.  But  would  it  be  remarkable,  in  view  of 
present  circumstances,  if  this  man  Clemens  should  really  have 
had,  or  have,  some  connection  with  the  real  assassin  of  the 
President  in  carrying  out  the  dread  ful  plot.  It  will  be  seen 
froai  ^Vashington  despatches  that  letters  found  in  the 
trunk  of  Booth,  the  murderer,  show  that  the  assassination 
was  originally  fixed  for  the  -Ith  of  March,  but  postponed 
for  some  reason  not  yet  known.  Clemens  declared  that  he 
also  intended   to   murder  Mr.    Lincoln   on   that    day. 

SECRET      ORGANIZATIONS. 

Secret  societies  are  of  two  kinds,  those  whose  proceedings 
jys  unknown  to  all  who  do  not  belong  to  them ;  and  those 
whose  existence  as  well  as  transactions  is  kept  inviolate.  Of 
the  second  kind  are  those  which  have  their  origin  and  being 
in  Europe,  mostly  in  Italy,  where  they  ought  to  remain.  The 
American  soil  is  no  place  for  them.  Societies  of  this  kind 
are  destructive  of  liberty,  and  the  only  means  of  suppressing 
them  when  they  are  found  to  exist  is  to  bring  to  bear  such 
an  opposition  of  public  opinion,  that  respectable  persons  will 
have  nothing  to  do  with  them.  No  good  in  a  land  of  free- 
dom will  come  from  organizations  of  this  nature.  What  a 
man  is  unwilling  to  acknowledge  openly,  in  reference  to  his 
political  leanings  and  convictions,  will  generally  be  found  to  be 
in  antagonism  to  the  principles  on  which  the  government  ia 
based.  Free  discussion  of  all  questions  relating  to  the  public 
weal  is  not  only  to  be  encouraged,  but  should  be  deemed  absolutely 


OP    ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  47 

necessary.  We  can  never  expect  to  advance  in'political  science  so 
long  as  the  votes  of  enough  to  decide  contests  can  be  bought 
or  controled  by  a  few.  If  a  number  of  persons  in  secret  con- 
clave, oath  bound,  are  allowed  to  sway  the  masses,  that  they 
m.^y  ride  into  power  and  retain  it,  popular  government  is 
but  a  name,  a  sound,  and  an  aristocracy  becomes  in  effect  the 
government. 

The  liberties  of  a  people  are  not  lost  at  once.  The 
gradation  ia  not  rapid  even.  Slowly  in  most  cases,  but 
not  the  less  surely  the  process  goes  on,  and  not  till  some 
violent  measure  is  adopted  by  those  who  are  thus  seeking 
to  deprive  the  people  of  theii*  rights,  do  they  wake  up  to 
a  sense  of  their  situation.  And  then  it  is  found  that  what 
wa,3  once  nothing  more  than  a  simple  assertion  of  right 
has  become  treason  against  a  person,  or  set  of  persons,  who 
Were  originally  nothing  more  than  the  agents  of  the  people. 

Extreme  measures  always  beget  extremes.  Violence  will 
be  followed  by  violence,  and  there  is  no  better  way  to 
bring  about  a  despotism  than  by  the  commission  of  such 
deeds  as  those  of  the  14th  of  April.  Stringent  means  will 
be  adopted  in  such  cases  to  captm-e  the  guilty  ones,  and 
many  persons  who  are  really  innocent  of  all  complicity 
in  the  affair  will  be  suspected,  and  perhaps  punished. 
The  attention  of  eveiy  law-abiding  citizen  and  well-wisher 
of  his  country  must  be  drawn  to  the  in,vestigation  going 
on.  All  are  alike  interested,  and  he  who  appears  indiffer- 
ent is  morally  an  abettor.  Sneers  at  those  who  assert  that 
secret  bodies  exist  must  not  be  heeded.  There  do  exist 
treasonable  combinations  whose  purpose  is,  first,  destruction 
of  those  in  power,  and  finally  subversion  of  republican  in- 
stitutions. 


PLOTTING    OEGANIZATIOJ^S. 


"There  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt  tbat  Lincoln  and 
Seward  have  been  assassinated.  The  crimes  of  these  two 
men  may  make  this  event  justifiable  in  the  eyes  of  man 
and  God,  but  we  do  not  concur  with  those  who  rejoice. 
Johnson  has  greater  native  ability,  if  this  has  not  been 
impaired  by  his  excesses,  than  any  Northern  statesman  of 
his  party  except  Chase.  The  war  will  now  assume  a  new 
phase.  If  confined  to  these  States,  then  it  is  one  of  utter 
extermination.  The  veritable  Eeign  of  Terror  has  already 
begun  in  Tennessee.  It  is  probable,  if  Booth  be  a  Northern 
man,  that  the  assassination  of  Lincoln  is  the  work  of  those 
secret  Western  clubs  whose  mysteries  have  been  developed  in  late 
judicial  proceedings  in  Chicago  and  Ohio.  If  this  he  true,  the 
war  may  begin  in  the  North-west. 

"  All  the  decency  of  the  North  was  recently  thoroughly 
disgusted  by  Johnson's  conduct  on  the  occasion  of  his  in- 
auguration as  Vice-President.  His  drunken  speech  was  il- 
lustrative of  his  character,  and  of  the  old  adage,  in  vino 
Veritas. 

"  He  is  a  veritable  *  plebeian,'  a  leveler,  a  sans  eulotte. 
However  wedded  to  Johnson's  theories  of  radicalism  may 
have  been  the  Republican  newspapers,  a  few  of  them  dared 
to  mollify  his  violation  of  all  laws  of  civilized  decency. 
Copperheadism  could  have  inflicted  upon  the  vanity  and  self-re- 

[48J 


OF     ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  49 

spect  Puritanism  no  wound  so  deep  as  that  which  sent  Lin- 
coln to  perdition  and  elevated  Johnson  to  the  throne.  He  has- 
tened to  assume  the  royal  purple,  and  despite  the  recent 
militarj  triumphs,  the  pride  of  the  North  was  never  so 
humiliated   as   at  this  very   hour." — Meridian  {Miss.)   Clarion. 

The  italicised  portions  of  the  above  extract  point  unmis- 
takably to  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle,  or,  as  they 
are  latterly  known,  Sons  of  Libex-ty ;  and  convey  informa- 
tion that  is  anything  but  guess-work  on  the  part  of  the 
author.  Matter  coming  to  us  in  this  semi-official  form  ia 
abundant  confirmation  of  all  our  preconceived  suspicions, 
and  we  are  fully  assured  that  the  damnable  conspiracy 
i}hat  culminated  in  the  murder  of  our  beloved  President, 
was  incubated  in  the  temples  ot  this  cursed  league  of  the 
Circle,  and  that  its  minions  in  the  persons  of  Booth,  Har- 
rold,  Payne,  Surratt,  and  their  associates,  were  let  loose 
upon  their  victims  as  the  more  active  agents  of  this  trea- 
sonable association.  The  rapid,  positive  and  thoroughly 
systematic  development  of  facts  by  the  investigators  of  the 
assassination  con8j)iracy  is  daily  ofi'ering  proof  in  support 
of  this  theory,  if,  indeed,  it  is  not  already  demonstrated; 
and,  if  the  proofs  are  really  conclusive,  what  further  out- 
rage by  this  compact  with  hell  are  our  people  waiting  for, 
before  they  arise  in  their  might  and  destroy  it?  Has  it 
not  been  treated  as  a  myth  long  enough?  And  where  its 
existence  was  known,  have  not  its  vagaries  and  mummery 
been  sufficiently  laughed  at  to  allow  people  to  give  it  a 
little  serious  attention  just  now?  After  this  evidence  of  its 
power  and  outrageous  designs,  are  there  any  weak  enough 
to    believe   it   impalpable,    or    simply    the    matter   for    pleas- 


50  LIFEANDMARTTKDOM 

antry?  Sucli  are  in  danger;  and  our  country  is  in  immi- 
nent danger  until  the  destructive  elements  germinated  by 
this  pestiferous  order  are  searched  out  and  thoroughly  ex- 
j)urgated   from  our  politics! 

Knights  mini,  and  similar  quackeries,  are  scarcely  con- 
genial to  "the  spirit  of  Eepublican  Institutions,  and  were 
never  organized  to  peri^etuate  the  governmeut  our  fathers 
established  through  great  tribulation.  They  are  seeking 
strange  gods,  as  outre  and  distasteful  to  the  public  weal 
as  the  prostituted  representative  of  Reason  in  the  Reign 
of  Terror.  Ben.  Allen,  the  Grand  Seigneur  of  Copperhead- 
ism  in  New  York,  declared  at  the  Democratic  National 
Convention  at  Chicago,  last  year :  "  The  people  will  soon 
rise,  and  if  they  cannot  put  Lincoln  out  of  power  hy  the  bal- 
lot, they  will  hy  the  bullet."  This  declaration  was  received 
with  loud  cheers,  and  thereupon  S.  S.  Cox,  C.  C.  Burr, 
Koontz  of  Pennsylvania,  Baker  of  Michigan,  Stambaugh  of 
Ohio,  and  several  other  delegates  gave  utterance  to  similar 
choice  opinions, — each  calling  our  President  a  usurper,  and 
denouncing  against  him  all  the  most  outrageous  crimes 
known  to  our  laws.  Threats  of  assassination  were  not  made 
vaguely,  but  if  the  Copperhead  chiefs  meant  what  they 
publicly  declared,  every  one  of  them  should  be  indicted  as 
accessories   before   the  fact,   and   tried  without  ceremony. 

The  order  of  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle  is  not  confined 
to  the  North-west,  as  rebel  authority  would  have  us  believe, 
but  is  co-extensive  with  secession  proclivities  everywhere.  It 
was  an  invention  of  the  Secession  movement  years  ago,  when 
Jackson  forced  the  poisonous  hydra  to  secrete  itself  in  dark 
and  unfrequented  places,  and  deposit  its  slime  wheie  it  would 


OFABRAHAMLIXCOLN.  61 

not  be  contagious ;  but  copperheadism  could  not  thrive  with- 
out it,  and  it  was  imported  from  the  South  to  force  the 
growth  of  a  JS'orthern  party  with  Southern  sympathies.  It  has 
existed  in  our  midst  during  the  past  four  years,  but  we  hardly 
comprehend  the  fact ;  and  still  less  do  the  people  know  of 
the  nature  and  unholy  purposes  of  the  organization.  It  is 
time  these  particulars  are  fully  understood.  Its  oaths  and 
penalties,  its  s'pj  system  and  police  regulations,  all  its  mur- 
derous ingenuity  and  damnable  crimes,  should  be  made  public, 
that  we  may  know  the  enemy  we  have  to  contend  against; 
and  that  the  people  may  know  what  a  mine  has  been  planted 
beneath  their  homes,  in  many  cases  by  their  own  neighbors, 
to  blow  them  to  destruction  in  a  moment.  The  "  exposition  " 
of  Edmund  Wright,  first  published  about  a  year  since,  was 
scarcely  heeded,  although  widely  read.  The  Knights  jeered 
at  it,  and  called  it  incredible;  but  their  object  is  now  evident 
enough  to  thinking  men,  for  of  course  they  saw  plainly 
that  if  Wright  was  believed,  their  power  was  at  an  end. 
It  is  time  now  to  heed  every  warning,  and  to  break,  per- 
manently, the  power  of  this  oligarchy  of  devils.  It  is 
more  dangerous  to  our  liberties  to-day  than  all  the  armies 
the  South  have  had  in  the  field  have  ever  been ;  it  works 
in  secret,  and  we  can  have  no  notice  of  its  intentions  to  sally 
forth  to  burn,  pillage  and  murder.  Its  oaths  are  binding 
as  words  can  make  them ;  its  penalties  are  terrible  as  the 
foulest  devises  of  the  Spanish  Inquisition ;  its  police  regula- 
tions are  on  a  large  scale,  carefully  and  systematically  ar- 
ranged ;  and  all  the  guards  that  ingenuity  can  invent  are 
thrown  out  to  prevent  recursancy.  It  is  sworn  to  support 
the  South,  at  any  and  all  hazards,  in  every  attempt 
4 


62  LIFEANDMAETYEDOM 

to  subvert  our  government;  and  such  has  been  its  oath 
through  four  years  of  devastating  war.  It  is  sworn  to  kill 
all  who  025]5ose  its  designs,  if  such  a  result  seems  necessary 
to  gain  its  ends ;  and  the  initiate  pledges  his  own  life  to 
assist  in  murder,  arson,  robbery,  and  the  carrying  out  of 
all  its  schemes,  on  his  first  introduction  to  its  mysteries.  Not 
a  few  of  the  sudden  disappearances  of  people  who  will  never  be 
heard  of  more  in  this  world,  may  be  traced  to  the  "  Knights," 
provided  the  knowing  ones  would  uncover  some  of  their 
tracks  in  the  sand;  and  they  will  be  forced  to  answer  for 
the  death  of  Abraham  Lincoln  ! 

This  order,  whose  history,  when  known,  will  entitle  it  to 
outrank  all  the  secret  political  orders  of  Italy,  in  the  enormity 
of  its  crimes,  still  exists — not  only  in  the  Northwest,  but  to 
an  alarming  extent  throughout  the  North  and  South  j  and  its 
leaders  are  now  plotting  fresh  treason ;  at  the  same  time 
are  subscribing  oaths  of  allegiance  and  making  the  loudest  pro- 
fessions of  loyalty,  while  its  outlaws  commit  murder,  arson, 
and  robbery  to  administer  to  the  wants  of  its  exchequer.  It 
works  in  secret  within  its  "temples"  and  without ;  places  its 
assassins  in  hiding  to  shoot  and  stab;  applies  the  torch  at 
midnight,  when  the  innocent  are  wrapped  in  peaceful  slum- 
bers ;  -waylays  railway  trains,  to  tumble  them  down  embank- 
ments, by  the  displacement  of  the  track ;  conceals  torpedoes 
in  coal  heaps  to  explode  in  steamboat  furnaces  and  hotels ; 
and  comes  upon  the  solitary  traveler  unawares,  to  wrest  from 
him  his  money  and  life. 

Investigation  has  already  indicated  that  this  order  originated 
the  plot  to  assassinate  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  when  such  is 
proven  to  be  the  fact,  as  it  will  be,  who    will   contend   that  all 


OF    ABBAHAM    LINCOLN.  53 

its  members  are  not  accessories?  TVho  will  say  they  are  not 
all  guilty  of  the  murder,  and  that  all  should  suflfer  the  pen- 
altj'  of  that  crime?  If  not  all  guilty,  or  equally  so,  it  is  im- 
portant 710W  to  know  who  of  these  Knights  are  innocent,  and 
the  degrees  of  guilt  of  the  others.  It  is  of  the  first  impor- 
tance to  them  personally,  to  show  their  skirts  clear  of  blood- 
stains ;  for  the  vengeance  of  the  people  will  be  ap'peased  for 
this  crime  without  let  or  hindrance,  fully  and  to  the  last  re- 
sort; and  the  guilty  will  suffer,  whatever  their  numbers,  or 
positions. 

It  is  shown  that  the  programme  of  murder  was  arranged  on 
an  immense  scale,  and  at  least  one  hundred  prominent  person- 
ages were  marked  for  sacrifice  to  the  Moloch  of  Blood.  There 
were  one  hundred  armed  assassins  at  Ford's  Theatre  on  the 
night  of  the  14th  of  April,  each  ready  to  aim  the  deadly  bul- 
let at  the  life  of  a  victim;  and  only  through  that  Providence 
that  stayed  the  hand  of  him  who  had  promised  to  turn  off 
the  gas  and  leave  the  place  in  darkness,  was  such  an  event 
averted !  Other  murderers  were  engaged  in  similar  scenes  of 
blood  at  other  localities  in  Washington ;  and  will  probably 
never  be  known  how  many  hearts  God  struck  with  terror  or 
remorse — how  many  failed  through  fear  or  lack  of  opportu- 
nity, that  otherwise  would  have  added  their  names  to  this 
black  record.  What,  then,  may  reasonably  be  supposed  as 
the  extent  of  a  conspiracy  that  employs  so  many  agents  to 
do  its  work  ?  Too  large,  by  far,  for  the  safety  of  freemen ; 
too   powerful   for   evil   to   remain   in   power. 

When  the  tidings  of  the  assassination  were  made  public 
throughout  the  land,  a  few  in  each  locality  were  inconsider- 
ate   enough   to   express     gratification     at     the    calamity     of  the 


64  LIFEANDMARTTRDOM 

nation  I  Who  were  they?  Of  what  class  and  antecedent? 
Many  paid  the  penalty  for  their  blasphemy  with  their  lives, 
and  few  stopped  to  consider  that  the  executioners  were  heed- 
ful of  the  old  Mosaic  law,  that  requires  "a  life  for  a  life ;" 
but  history,  in  other  times,  will  so  wake  up  the  record  I 
They  were  part  of  a  murderous  gang — part  of  the  machinery 
that  worked  it  into  action,  and  equally  guilty  with  those  who 
executed  the  bloody  work. 

In  other  localities,  remote  from  telegraph  stations,  de- 
tailed reports  of  the  great  crime  reached  the  people  too 
soon,  and  in  forms  greatly  exaggerated,  involving  the  death 
of  President,  Yice-President,  and  every  member  of  tho 
Cabinet,  It  is  useless  to  assume  that  in  such  neighbor- 
hoods something  of  the  matter  was  not  foreknown, — but 
by  whom  ?  Evidence  is  plentiful  enough  that  the  conspi- 
racy was  extensive,  and  that  its  moving  spirits  were  of  the 
North  and  South,  in  combination.  The  investigation  and 
working  up  of  the  evidence  is  in  charge  of  shrewd  heads, 
who  will  do  their  work  thoroughly.  It  is  no  longer  a 
question  whether  the  conspiracy  will  be  traced  to  its  real 
projectors  and  abettors,  for  the  tangled  skein  is  daily  un- 
raveling ; — new  developments  transpire  as  rapidly  as  the 
scenes  in  a  panorama ; — each  discovery  adds  a  fresh  link 
to  the  chain  of  evidence  that  is  gathering  around  the  ac- 
cused, to  hem  them  in  beyond  rescue ;  and  it  is  known 
that  none  of  the  guilty   ones   can   escape. 

The  lesson  is  dearly  purchased,  but  should  be  heeded 
by  all. 


PLOT  TO  ASSASSINATE  THE  PRESIDENT. 


Whether  Jefferson  Davis  and  other  rebel  leaders  con- 
trived, authorized,  or  openly  approve  the  assassination  of 
President  Lincoln,  is  a  question  to  which  we  can  not  give 
a  direct  answer.  The  evidence  in  the  case  is  collateral, 
and  illustrative  rather  than  positive.  When  Preston  S. 
Brooks,  of  South  Carolina,  assaulted  and  tried  to  murder 
Charles  Sumner,  we  of  the  North  said:  The  South  will 
denounce  that  act  as  cowardly  and  infamous;  but,  on  the 
contrary,  the  South  by  her  newspapers  and  public  men, 
without  one  exception,  applauded  it.  Since  that  time,  be- 
side making  war  on  the  republic,  the  South  has  evinced 
its  fiendish  hatred  of  the  North  by  the  atrocities  commit- 
ted on  our  dead  soldiers  at  Bull  Run,  by  the  massacres 
at  Milliken's  Bend  and  Fort  Pillow,  by  the  systematic  cru- 
elties inflicted  on  our  prisoners,  by  the  Alabama  outrages, 
by  the  St.  Albans'  and  other  j^i'acies  on  the  border,  by 
the  hotel  burning  plots,  and  so  far  as  threats  went,  there 
has  been  abundant  evidence  that  assassination  was  deemed 
an  equally  legitimate  and  justifiable  method  of  warfare. 
The  advertisements  and  editorials,  appearing  repeated- 
ly unrebuked  in  Southern  papers,  proposing  rewards  for 
the  murder  or  kidnapping  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  show  that  the 
rebel  leaders  did  not  object  to  such    schemes    though    they 

[65] 


66  LIFE    AND    MARTYRDOM 

may  not  or  may  have  incited  them.  About  a  year  ago,  a 
correspondent  of  the  New  York  Tribune,  who  had  for  some 
time  been  on  duty  inside  the  war  office  at  Eichmond,  and 
who  afterwards  escaped  to  Washington,  sent  to  that  paper 
some  valuable  and  timely  information.  He  wrote  subse- 
quently from  Canada,  disclosing  and  thereby  preventing 
more  than  one  scheme  for  a  murderous  foray  across  the 
border.  He  foretold  the  plot  which  culminated  in  New 
York,  in  the  attempt  to'  fire  the  hotels,  and  he  revealed 
the  particulars  of  a  conspiracy  to  kidnap  the  President, 
which  the  following  details  will  show  to  have  been  consid- 
ered and  ajaproved  by  the  rebel  President,  Secretary  of  State, 
and  Secretary  of  War.  We  quote  in  full  a  passage  from  a 
letter  published  in  the  Tribune  of  March  19th,   1864: 

"In  a  former  communication  I  stated  that  a  plan  had 
been  submitted  to  the  rebel  War  Department  by  Mar- 
grave, who  had  been  for  a  considerable  time  an  emissary 
in  the  North,  to  kidnap  President  Lincoln  and  carry  him 
to  Richmond,  or  if  it  should  be  found  imj)0ssible  to  escape 
with  him  to  the  Rebel  lines,  to  assassinate  him.  Owing 
to  a  change  in  the  position  of  the  armies  about  this  time, 
the   plan   proposed   was    rendered   impracticable. 

"  In  the  early  part  of  November,  and  only  a  few  days 
before  he  was  sent  North,  Margrave  submitted  another 
plan,  the  details  of  which  may  be  interesting  to  the 
reader.  To  give  the  plan  in  minuiige  would  occupy  too 
much   space,   but  a  digest  of   it  will  prove   quite  intelligible. 

"One  hundred  and  fifty  picked  men  were  to  go  secretly 
North  and  take  quarters  in  Washington,  Georgetown,  Bal- 
timore  and    Alexandria,  so  as    to  be  able    to   communicate 


OFABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  67 

dail}'  with  each  other,  and,  upon  a  day  fixed  by  their 
leader,  were  to  assemble  in  Washington  for  the  purpose  of 
making  the  seizure.  The  President,  it  was  claimed,  could 
be  easily  seized  at  a  private  hour  at  the  White  House,  or 
in  going  to,  or  returning  from  church,  or  on  some  other 
favorable  occasion,  and  thrust  into  a  carriage  and  driven 
off.  The  carriage  was  to  be  joined  a  few  miles  out  of  the 
city  by  twenty-five  or  thirty  armed  men  on  horseback.  It 
was  proposed  to  drive  to  Indian  Point,  about  twenty-five 
miles  south  of  Washington,  on  the  Potomac — two  or  three 
relays  of  fleet  horses  being  stationed  on  the  way — where 
a  boat  was  to  be  in  waiting  to  ci'oss  the  river,  and  land 
the  cajDtive  a  few  miles  south  of  Occoquan,  when  it  would 
be  an  easy  matter  for  his  captors  to  work  their  way  with 
him  through  the  woods  by  night  into  the  Eebel  lines.  To 
prevent  pursuit,  every  bridge  between  Washington  and  In- 
dian Point  was  to  be  mined  befoi'ehand,  and  blown  up  as 
soon  as  the  captive  and  his  captors  had  crossed.  Huge 
trees  were  also  to  be  ready  cut  and  thrown  across  the 
road  in  various  places,  as  soon  as  they  had  passed,  by 
men  stationed  along  for  the  purpose,  who  were  afterward 
to   separate   and   escape   as  best  they   could. 

"  The  Secretary  of  War  thought  this  scheme  might  succeed ; 
but  he  doubted  whether  such  a  proceeding  would  be  of  a 
military  character  and  justifiable  under  the  laws  of  war. 
He  promised,  however,  to  consult  the  President  and  Mr.  Ben- 
jamin; but  what  conclusion  was  arrived  at  I  am  unable  with 
certainty  to  say.  About  a  week,  however,  after  the  plan 
was  submitted,  and  the  same  day  that  Margrave  left  for  the 
North,    I   asked   Mr.    Wellford,    who   is    familiar    with    all   the 


68  LIFE    AND  MARTYRDOM 

secrets  of  t'le  Department,  if  the  plan  had  been  adopted,  and 
he  answered,  "You  will  see  Old  Abe  here  in  the  spring  aa 
sure  as  God."  A  few  days  afterward  I  was  sent  to  Atlanta, 
and   never   returned   to   Richmond    to   hear   about   the    matter. 

"  But  this  is  not  the  only  scheme  by  any  means  that  has 
been  devised  for  kidnapping  our  President.  Last  summer  a 
club  or  society  of  wealthy  citizens  of  Richmond  was  formed 
for  the  purpose  of  raising  a  fund  for  this  object.  Circulars 
were  sent  to  trustworthy  citizens  in  every  other  city  and 
town  in  the  Confederacy,  inviting  co-operation  in  the  grand 
undertaking,  and  an  immense  sum  of  money  was  subscribed. 
The  firm  of  Merry  &  Co.,  bankers  in  Richmond,  subscribed 
$10,000,  and  Sumner  &  Arents,  auctioneers,  subscribed  $5,000; 
and  I  have  heard  on  good  authority  that  there  were  several 
in  the  capital  who  subscribed  even  more  liberally  than  the 
parties  named,  but  who  they  were,  I  did  not  learn.  One 
man  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  whose  name  I  have  for- 
gotten, subscribed  $20,000.  It  was  proposed,  when  all  was 
ready,  to  obtain  a  furlough  for  Mosby,  and  make  him  lead- 
er   of  the    enterprise. 

"  Whether  these  schemes  have  been  abandoned,  or  whether 
the  kidnappers  are  only  awaiting  a  favorable  opportunity  to 
execute  them,  remains  to  be  seen ;  but  certain  it  is  that  too 
much  caution  cannot  be  observed  by  the  President,  or  the 
military    commanders   stationed   at   the    capital." 

As  these  statements  were  questioned  by  many  journals 
in  the  North,  the  writer  of  the  above  subsequently  for- 
warded to  the  same  paper  the  following  documentary  evi- 
dence, being  a  letter  from  Calhoun  Cullum,  at  that  time  a 
captain   in     a    North     Carolina    regiment,    and    well    known   in 


OF    ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  69 

the  South.  The  original  letter  was  sent  enveloped,  post- 
marked and  stamped  with  a  Confederate  ten  cent  postage 
stamp,  and  addressed  to  Mr.  Wellford,  a  clerk  in  the  war 
office  at  Richmond.  Although  it  was  published  as  long  ago 
as  April  23d,  1864,  its  genuineness  has  never  been  denied 
nor   its   statements   contradicted : 

"MoRGANTOWN,  Sept.   30,  1863. 

"Mt  Dkar  "Wellfobd  :  I  have  for  several  weeks  been  looking  for  a 
letter  from  you  on  the  subject  of  our  last  conversation.  On  yesterday, 
Mr.  Gaither,  M.  C.  for  the  IXth  District,  came  to  see  father  and  dined 
with  us.  He  spent  the  week  before  last  in  Richmond,  and  had  a  num- 
ber of  conversations  with  the  President,  Secretary  of  War,  and  other  of- 
ficials. I  inquired  of  him  if  he  had  heard  anything  of  the  ruse  de 
guerre  to  capture  "Honest  Abe,"  and  he  said  he  had,  but  that  the  af- 
fair would  probably  be  managed  rather  by  individual  enterprise  than  by 
the  Government.  He  gave  me  the  names  of  the  most  prominent  workers  in 
the  project  in  Richmond,  and  as  you  must  be  acquainted  with  them  all,  I  beg 
you  to  put  in  a  timely  word  for  me.  If  the  affair  was  to  be  managed 
by  the  Government  I  knew  your  influence,  and  that  of  my  other 
friends,  with  Mr.  Seddon,  would  get  me  assigned  to  the  part  I  desire  to 
play  in  the  grand  comedy  or  tragedy,  as  the  case  may  be ;  but  if  it  is 
to  be  managed  by  the  citizens  of  Richmond,  my  chances  are  not  so  good* 
and  I  may  have  to  depend  entirely  on  you.  Speak  a  good  word  for 
me  at  once,  and  I  will  see  you  next  week.  As  I  told  you,  I  would 
willingly  sell  my  soul  to  the  devil  for  the  honor  of  playing  a  conspicu- 
ous  part   in   the   destruction   of  the  great   hydra, 

"My  arm  is  nearly   well,  and   I  find   it  quite  useful    again,  as   you  will 
conclude  from  my  being  able   to  dispense  with  an  amanuensis. 
"  Don't  neglect  me. 

"  Your  sincere  friend,  Culldm." 

Now,  it  is  remarkable  that  this  kidnappipg  scheme  is  the 
same  which  Booth  at  first  contemplated,  as  shown  in  his  re- 
cently published  letter,  but  which  he  subsequently  abandoned 
for   the     assassination.      If,    then,    one    part    of    the    plot    of 


60  LIFE    AND    MARTYRDOM 

which  Booth  was  the  agent,  was  concocted  at  Hichmond  by 
Davis,  Seddon  and  Benjamin,  is  it  not  like  that  they  knew 
of  the  other  part  and  of  the  more  horrible  shape  which  it 
finally  took  ?  There  are  unwritten  chapters  which  will  be 
unfolded  to  the  public,  as  the  trial  of  the  chief  conspirators 
progresses.  There  are  chapters  of  such  horrid  detail  and 
extensive  combinations,  that  will  startle  the  country  equal  to 
anything  which  has  transpired  since  the  commencement  of 
the  rebellion.  The  public  have  no  idea  of  the  extent  to 
which  the  authorities  have  probed  this  plot.  The  accounts 
published  give  but  a  faint  idea.  They  know  the  chief  actor 
in  the  tragedy  has  been  tracked  and  followed  through  Mary- 
land, and  hunted  down  in  Virginia,  and  how  he  died  like  a 
dog ;  but  this  is  only  one  portion  of  the  whole  affair 
• — only  one  branch  of  the  main  stream  which  has  been  gone 
over.  In  almost  every  other  respect,  equal  success  crowned 
the  efforts  of  the  authorities ;  and  in  fact  some  instances,  with 
much  greater  success,  as  the  public  will  see  in  due  course 
of  time.  The  persons  taken  into  custody  as  participators, 
aiders  and  abettors,  or  in  some  way  accomplices  to  the 
tragic  deed,  are  numbered  almost  by  hundreds.  There  are 
still  a  few  at  large,  and  until  they  are  captured  it  will  not 
be  the  part  of  wisdom  to  give  details  and  developments  in 
full,  which  have  transpired.  It  is  but  proper  to  state  that 
the  principal  actors — the  men,  who,  on  the  night  of  the  four- 
teenth of  April,  were  at  their  posts,  and  performed  their  al- 
lotted  portion    of  the   work — are    in   limbo. 

The  facts  are  npt  conclusive  where  the  plot  originated,  but 
circumstances  point  strongly  to  its  being  the  work  of  the 
fire-eating  Southerners,  who  by  their  flaming  speeches  and 
boasts    that   a   Brutus   would    arise   to  plant  the   dagger  in  the 


OF    ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  61 


breast  of  the  first  anti-slavery  President  that  was  ever  elected, 
gave  the  idea  to  their  followers  which  has  been  put  into  prac- 
tice by  the  over  zealous  fanatics  in  our  midst  who  had  not 
the  courage,  to  enter  the  Southern  armies,  and  fight  for  the 
cause  which  they  pretended  to  uphold.  Whether  the  detail  or 
the  employment  of  the  leading  men  in  the  tragedy  was  the 
work  of  the  rebel  conspirators  who  had  sought  refuge 
in  Canada  or  not  the  facts  at  the  trial  will  no  doubt  tell. 
The  fact  that  some  of  the  parties  connected  with  it  were 
participators  in  the  St.  Albans'  raid,  and  Confederates  in  the 
attempt  to  burn  New  York  city  last  Fall  furnishes  strong  cir- 
cumstantial evidence,  that  the  same  brain  that  planned  or  insti- 
gated those  atrocious  deeds  instigated  and  set  in  motion  the 
plot  for  assassinating   our   late,   lamented   Chief  Magistrate. 

The  conspirators  were  bound  together  by  one  of  the  strongest 
oaths  ever  taken  by  mortals  and  every  person  who  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  secret,  was  bound  to  remain  faithful  to  the  end 
at  the  penalty  of  death — his  life  to  be  taken  by  one  of  his 
associates.  Many  of  the  Confederates  were  not  taken  fully 
into  the  secret,  and  those  only  were  allowed  to  approach  it 
who  by  degrees  had  their  faithfulness  tested.  The  authori- 
ties have  been  fortunate  enough  to  ascertain  where,  when, 
and  how  often  the  conspirators  held  their  meetings,  and 
have  taken  into  custody  the  people  who  occupied  the  houses 
where  they  met.  The  number  which  were  taken  into  the  se- 
cret before  the  consummation  of  the  deed,  was  so  large  that 
it  is  astonishing  that  some  one  of  the  number  did  not  re- 
veal  it.  fc 

It  seems  that  about  three  weeks  before  the  plans  were  put 
into   execution,   one   of  the   parties  revolted   at  the  part  of  the 


62  LIFE    AND    MARTTEDOM  ^ 

work  which  the  leaders  ha-l  allotted  to  him  on  the  eventful 
night,  and  at  once  manifested  a  desire  to  withdraw.  He 
was,  however,  reminded  of  his  oath  and  every  effort  made  to 
bring  him  up  to  his  work.  But  the  more  he  thought  of  it 
the  more  he  became  alarmed  at  the  fearful  proposition  of  the 
hellish  schemes.  After  several  days  parlying,  he  succeeded  in 
getting  the  consent  of  his  associates  to  relieve  him  from  all 
further  connection  with  them,  on  condition  that  he  should 
leave  the  city  and  not  return  for  sixty  days.  He  left  the 
city,  and  was  somewhere  within  the  limits  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  when  the  news  came  there  of  the  Assassination 
of  the  President.  He  repaired  immediately  to  Fortress  Mon- 
roe and  gave  himself  up  and  was  sent  to  Washington,  ar- 
riving there  the  next  morning  after  the  funeral  services  of 
Mr.  Lincoln  at  the  White  House.  When  taken  before  the 
authorities  he  made  a  full  confession  of  all  he  knew  of  the 
plot,  as  to  where  and  when  they  met,  and  who  were  con- 
cerned in  it.  It  is  understood  that  the  proclamation  issued 
during  that  day  by  Secretary  Stanton,  offering  an  additional 
reward  for  Booth,  also  rewards  for  Atzcrot  and  Harrold,  was 
based  upon  the  confession  of  this  prisoner.  At  any  rate  the 
arrests  on  that  day  were  numerous,  and  several  residents  of 
Washington  were  among  the  number.  This  opened  the  way 
for   further   important   developments. 

The  number  engaged  in  executing  the  plot  is  very  large. 
Besides  Booth  and  his  accomplices,  in  and  around  the 
theatre,  the  assassin  of  Mr.  Seward,  and  Atzerot  at  the 
Kirkwood,  there  were  a  number  engaged  in  cutting  the 
telegraph  wires  leading  from  the  War  Department,  and 
still   another   set  endeavoring  to  divert  the  attention   of  the 


OF     ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  63 

authorities  from  the  fleeing  culprits.  It  appears  that  at 
precisely  ten  minutes  past  ten  there  were  twenty-two  wires 
leading  from  the  AVar  Office  in  different  directions,  and 
connecting  with  the  fortifications  and  out-posts  cut.  These 
wires  having  been  cut  at  a  considerable  distance  from  each 
other,  together  with  the  simultaneousness  of  this  work, 
shows  very  plainly  that  a  number  of  men  were  engaged 
in  it,  and  it  is  now  believed  that  there  were  twenty-two 
men  aj)pointed  to  do  this  work.  The  time  at  which  this 
was  accomplished  furnishes  beyond  a  doubt,  the  hour  which 
the  President  was  assassinated,  which  has  been  stated  all 
the  way  from  half-past  nine  to  half-past  ten.  It  probably 
did   not  vary   much   from   ten   o'clock. 

The  numerous  stories  in  reference  to  the  contemplated 
assassination  of  all  the  leading  officials  in  the  government 
ai'e  not  at  all  to  be  credited.  The  evidence  thus  far  ob- 
tained, shows  that  the  schemes  only  contemplated  the  as- 
sassination of  the  President,  Vice-President  and  Secretary 
Seward, — no  more  and  no  less.  For  some  reason  the  per- 
son who  was  to  execute  the  programme  on  Mr.  Johnson 
failed  to  do  his  work.  Booth  is  the  only  man  who  car- 
ried out  his  part  of  the  work  to  the  letter.  The  would- 
be  assassin  of  Mr.  Seward  no  doubt  considered  that  he  had 
performed  his  work  thoroughly,  but  providential  circum- 
stances prevented   his  blows   being   effective. 

'Justice  bids  fair  to  be  swift  in  visiting  these  culprits 
and  accomplices.  The  leader  has  already  died  a  death  of 
great  agony  and  hard  suffering.  The  future  has  confined 
within   its   unknown   mysteries   the  fate   of  the   rest. 


THE   ASSASSINS— THEIR   PURSUIT   AKi) 
CAPTURE. 


The  President  and  General  Grant  had  been  invited  to 
.attend  Ford's  theatre,  in  Washington,  on  the  evening  of 
the  fourteenth,  and  both  had  accepted  the  invitation.  Gen- 
eral Grant  was  called  North  and  left  Washington  during 
the  evening.  The  President  attendee^  the  theatre  lest  the 
audience  might  be  entirely  disappointed,  in  consequence  of 
General  Grant's  absence.  Shortly  after  the  President  and 
party  entered  the  box  and  had  become  interested  in  the 
performance,  John  Wilkes  Booth  was  seen,  by  one  who 
knew  him  well,  passing  along  the  dress  circle  toward  the 
President's  box,  when  he  came  to  within  a  step  or  two  of 
the  door  of  the  box  Booth  stopped,  and  taking  off  his  hat 
held  it  in  his  left  hand,  while  he  leaned  against  the  wall 
behind  him.  In  this  attitude  he  remained  for  about  half 
a  minute,  then  stepping  down  one  step  he  put  his  hand  on 
the  door  and  bent  his  knee  against  it ;  the  door  opened 
and  Booth  entered.  The  shot  was  the  next  thing,  Booth 
stood  upright  with  both  hands  raised,  but  at  that  moment 
no  weapon  or  any  thing  else,  in  either  hand  was  seen 
He  then  sprang  to  the  front  of  the  box,  laid  his  left 
hand  on  the  railway,  but  was  checked  for  an  instant  evi- 
dently   by    bis    coat  or    pants    being    caught    in    something, 

[64] 


I 


JOHN  WILKES  BOOTH. 


OFABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  65 

or  being  held  back  by  somebody.  A  knife  "was  now  seen 
in  his  right  hand,  which  he  also  laid  upon  the  railing 
where  he  already  had  his  left,  and  vaulted  out.  As  his 
legs  passed  between  the  folds  of  the  flags  decorating  the 
box,  his  spur,  which  he  wore  on  the  right  heel,  caught 
the  drapery  and  brought  it  down,  tearing  a  strip  with  it. 
"When  he  let  go  the  railing  he  still  clutched  the  shining 
knife.  He  crouched  as  he  fell,  falling  on  one  knee  and 
2)utting  forth  both  hands  to  help  himself  to  recover  an 
erect  position,  which  he  did  with  the  rapidity  and  easy 
agility  of  an  athlete.  As  he  strode  across  the  stage  he 
shouted  the  motto  of  Virginia  "  Sic  semper  tyrannis,"  flour- 
ishiag  his  knife  as  he  passed.  When  he  reached  the  other 
side  of  the  stage,  just  before  he  became  invisible  by  pass- 
ing into  the  entrance,  he  looked  up  and  was  heard  to 
say,  "I  have  done   it,"   and  was  then  lost  sight  of 

JOHN   WILKES  BOOTH. 

It  has  been  generally  understood,  and  the  family  encour- 
aged the  belief,  that  Junius  Brutus  Booth,  Sr.,  was  legally 
married  to  the  lady  who  passed  in  this  country  as  his  second 
wife.  Indeed,  when  some  seven  years  ago,  the  announcement 
of  the  death  of  the  first  wife,  Mrs.  Mary  Booth,  in  Balti- 
more, was  made  in  a  New  York  paper,  the  statement  that  she 
had  been  divorced  being  added,  the  sons  united  in  a  card, 
which  was  published  in  that  journal,  setting  forth  that  their 
father  had  had  but  one  wife,  and  that  one  their  mother, 
then  (and  now)  living — the  putative  Mrs.  Rosalie  Booth,  from 
whom  he  had  never  been  divorced.  This,  however,  was  in^ 
correct.  The  elder  Booth  was  a  married  man  at  the  time  he 
5 


06  LIFEANDMARTYRDOM 

last  appeared  at  Covent  Garden  Theatre.  While  there,  he 
chanced  to  meet  in  the  Covent  Garden  Market,  (then  as  well 
known  as  Haymarket)  a  flower-girl  named  Rosalie,  who  reg- 
ularly sold  flowers  to  market  customers  in  that  quarter  of 
London.  She  possessed  rare  personal  attractions,  and  was,  in 
fact,  exceedingly  heautiful.  Booth  cultivated  an  acquaintance 
with  her,  which  ripened  into  intimacy,  and  resulted  in  an 
elopement,  Booth  at  once  taking  passage  for  America,  where 
the  fair  Rosalie  was  presented  as,  and  passed  for,  his  wife. 
By  his  first  wife,  he  had  one  child,  at  the  time  of  his 
desertion  from  her — an  infant.  When  she  ascertained  where 
Booth  had  gone,  she  also  followed,  bringing  the  child  with 
her,  and  subsequently  took  up  her  residence  in  Baltimore. 
This  child,  when  arrived  at  man's  estate,  adopted  the  profes- 
sion of  the  law,  and  Richard  Booth,  Esq.,  was  afterward 
known  as  a  prominent  member  of  the  Boston  bar.  He  never 
so  much  as  recognized  the  other  children  of  Booth,  and  for 
years  did  not  speak  to  his  father.  It  was  probably  out  of 
consideration  for  this  child,  that  the  elder  Booth  did  not 
sue  for  a  writ  of  divorce  from  his  wife  Mary;  if,  indeed, 
there  were  any  grounds  upon  which  he  could  hope  to  obtain 
the  desired  legal  severance,  without  which,  it  seems  a  second 
marriage  was  out  of  the  question.  Her  troubles  and  trials 
led  her  gradually  into  habits  of  dissipation.  She  became  al- 
most as  intemperate  as  Booth  himself,  and  it  was  a  custom 
with  her,  when  in  liquor,  to  haunt  the  Baltimore  markets 
for  a  chance  meeting  with  the  woman  who  had  usurped  her 
place  in  the  heart  and  home  of  her  husband.  These  en- 
counters were  as  much  avoided  by  the  one,  as  sought  for  by 
the   other.      Mrs.    Booth    assailed     Rosalie    with    violent,   often 


OF     ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  67 

coarse  language,  opprobrious  epithets,  which  the  other  never 
resented,  but  cut  short  by  the  speediest  exit.  The  fact  grow- 
ing out  of  this  condition  of  affairs  is,  that  the  children — • 
Junius  Brutus,  Edwin  Forrest,  John  Wilkes,  Joseph  and  the 
sisters — are  of  illegitimate  birth  ;  and  it  is  a  fact  which 
would  probably  have  died  out  with  the  few  who  were  privy 
to  it,  but  for  the  great  crime  which  has  quickened  publio 
curiosity  and  unlocked  the  secrets  of  the  family  charnel-house, 
whose  gates  had  been  so  securely  closed  and  guarded  by 
the  children,  in  their  struggle  for  professional  rank  and  so- 
cial position,  that  even  a  legal  inquisition  could  hardly  have 
forced  them  ajar.  They  were  all  greatly  attached  to  their  mother, 
and  it  was  their  custom,  when  fulfilling  engagements  through- 
out the  country,  to  remit  their  funds  to  her  in  trust,  ex- 
cept so  much  as  was  necessary  to  defray  their  personal  ex- 
penses. 

The  elder  Booth  was  an  English  tragedian,  born  in  Lon- 
don in  the  year  1796.  During  his  minority  he  played  in 
several  of  the  provincial  English  theatres  with  moderate 
success,  and  in  1814  made  his  debut  at  Coven  t  Garden 
Theatre,  in  his  native  city  as  Richard  III.  His  per- 
sonal resemblance  to  "  that  hunch-backed  toad "  conformed 
so  well  to  the  stage-traditions,  and  his  personification  of 
the  character  was,  in  other  respects  so  striking,  that  he  at 
once  took  a  prominent  rank  in  his  profession,  and  success- 
fully competed  with  Edmund  Kean,  then  the  rising  star  of 
the  English  stage,  at  Drury  Lane  Theatre.  He  shortly  after 
played  with  Kean  at  the  Druiy,  and  was  subsequently  an- 
nounced to  reappear  at  Covent  Garden.  Meantime  an  affair 
occurred  which  rendered  him  very  unpopular  with  the 
public,   and   his   reappearance   was   the    signal    for   a    serious 


68  LIFEANDMARTTRDCM 

theatrical  riot,  which  resulted  in  driving  him  temporarily 
from  the  London  stage.  We  do  not  distinctly  recollect  the 
particulars.  Jealousy,  professional  or  otherwise,  stirred  up 
the  fiery  nature  of  Booth  and  he  attempted  the  life  of  the 
obnoxious  person,  but  failed  to  take  it.  The  man  survived 
the  assault,  and  is  now  we  believe,  a  resident  of  St.  Louis. 
Booth  remained  in  England  till  about  the  year  1820,  when 
he  crossed  the  Atlantic,  and  made  his  first  professional  ap- 
pearance in  this  country  at  Petersburg,  Virginia,  and  the 
year  following  at  the  Park  Threatre,  New  York,  on  both 
of  which  occasions  he  assumed  his  favorite  role  of  "Richard 
III,"  From  that  time  to  the  close  of  his  life  he  fulfilled 
engagements  in  nearly,  if  not  every  theatre  in  the  United 
States,  and  was  accounted  one  of  the  greatest  actors  of  his 
time,  though  the  range  of  characters  which  he  assumed  was 
limited,  and  was  confined  almost  exclusively  to  those  which 
he  had  studied  in  the  beginning  of  his  career.  Having  se- 
cured a  moderate  competence,  Booth  purchased  a  property 
near  Baltmore,  known  as  "  The  Farm,"  where,  during  his 
latter  years  he  resided,  making  occasional  professional  visits 
to  other  cities.  He  made  an  excursion  to  California  some- 
where about  the  year  1850,  where  he  fulfilled  a  very  lucra- 
tive engagement,  and  on  his  way  home  stopped  in  New  Or- 
leans, where  he  made  his  last  appearance  at  the  St.  Charles, 
as  Sir  Giles  Overreach,  in  "A  New  Way  to  Pay  Old  Debts." 
It  was  while  on  his  passage  from  that  city  to  Cincinnati 
that  he  died.  His  remains  were  taken  to  "The  Farm"  for 
burial. 

Booth's  habits  were  exceedingly  irregular,  and  so  interfered 
with  his  performances  at  times  that  an  actor  less  gifted 
would   have   forfeited   his     popularity    beyond    redemption.       It 


OPAERAHAMLINCOLX.  69 

was  rarely  that  lie  appeared  sober  on  the  stage,  and,  toward 
the  close  of  Kis  life,  it  required  all  the  vigilance  and  art  of 
managers  to  keep  him  in  a  condition  to  appear  on  the  stage 
at  all.  The  stories  told  of  him  in  this  connection  are  in- 
numerable, and  some  of  them  extremely  ludicrous.  His  ap- 
petite for  liquor  was  absolutely  voracious.  Being  without 
money  at  one  time  in  New  York,  he  went  to  a  pawn  brok- 
er's shop,  literally  pawned  himself  for  money  to  purchase 
liquor,  was  regularly  ticketed  and  exhibited  in  a  window, 
where  he  staid  till  "redeemed"  by  a  friend.  On  another  oc- 
cason,  being  announced  to  appear  in  Philadelphia  —  at  the 
Walnut  street,  we  believe — the  manager,  on  the  day  for  the 
performance,  had  Booth  locked  up,  but  was  outwitted  by  the 
actor,  who  bribed  the  servant  to  bring  a  bottle  of  brandy,  a 
saucer  and  a  clay  pipe.  Inserting  the  pipe  through  the  key- 
hole, with  the  bowl  inverted,  the  brandy  was  poured  into 
the  saucer,  and  sucked  up  through  the  pipe  by  the  thirsty 
tragedian,  and  the  fact  was  disclosed  when  in  the  twilight 
the  manager  proceeded  there  to  conduct  him  to  the  dressing- 
room,  and  found  him  in  an  insensible  condition.  It  was  con- 
sidered somewhat  perilous  to  play  Richmond  to  Booth's  Rich- 
ard III,  particularly  if  the  actor  was  in  liquor.  During  the 
combat  on  Bosworth  field,  he  was  apt,  in  his  excitement,  to 
consider  himself  in  reality  the  King,  and  cut  and  thrust 
with  the  earnestness  and  ferocity  of  a  man  engaged  in  an 
earnest  and  life-depending  trial  of  arms.  At  such  times  it 
was  necessary  to  disable  him,  and  it  was  in  one  of  these 
"crazy  spells"  that  his  face  was  disfigured  for  life  by  an  im- 
perilled actor,  the  bridge  of  his  nose  being  broken  by  the 
blow   delivered    through   sheer   defence. 


70  LIFEANDMAKTYRDOM 

The  very  ludicrous  scene  which  occurred  at  a  New  York 
theatre,  between  Booth  and  the  celebrated  "  fat  girl,"  of  Barnum's 
Museum,  is  probably  familiar  to  many,  and  is,  perhaps,  one  of 
the  most  amusing  incidents  in  the  annals  of  the  stage.  It  is 
very  doubtful  whether  Booth  was  insane  at  any  time  when 
not  under  the  influence  of  strong  drink.  He  was,  however,  of 
a  very  fiery  quality,  and  in  his  peculiar  sphere — the  sudden 
and  nervous  expression  of  concentrated  passion,  as  also  in  the 
more  quiet  and  subtle  passages  of  his  delineations — he  was, 
perhaps,  unsurpassed  by  any  actor  of  his  time,  and  would  have 
passed  for  crazy  if  it  were  supposed  he  wais  guided  in  his»  j 
dramatic  out-bursts  by  feeling  rather  than  artistic  skill.  On 
the  stage  the  elder  Booth,  was  convivial,  genial,  warm-hearted, 
and   as   much   loved   in   his   profession   as   he  was   admired. 

John  Wilkes  Booth — the  infamous — was  born  on  "  the 
Parm,"  near  Baltimore,  Md.,  in  1838,  and  is  consequently  but 
twenty-seven  years  old.  He  made  his  first  stage  appearance 
in  1855,  at  Richmond,  in  "  Richard  III,"  at  the  St.  Charles 
Theatre  in  Baltimore,  and  in  the  fall  of  1857,  appeared  under 
the  name  of  Wilkes  at  the  Arch-street  Theatre  in  Philadelphia 
where  he  played  stock  parts  during  the  entire  season.  The 
name  of  Wilkes  was  given  him  by  his  father,  in  honor  of 
an  old  Baltimore  friend,  Jim  Wilkes,  a  successful  merchant 
and  great  wit.  Young  Booth  next  became  a  member  of  the 
Richmond,  Ya.,  Theatre,  improved  rapidly  in  his  profession, 
and  became  a  great  favorite  there.  During  the  season  of 
1860  and  1861  wc  find  him  engaged  still  further  South,  play- 
ing chiefly  at  Montgomery  and  Columbus,  Ga.  Probably  not 
fancying  conscription  into  the  Southern  Army,  however  much 
he    favored   the   cause,    he   escaped    North,    and    in     1861     and 


OF    ABRAHAM    LINOOLN.  tl 

1862  played  in  St.  Louis,  Louisville,  and  other  western  cit- 
ies. It  was  during  the  season  following,  we  believe,  that  he 
first  appeared  in  Cincinnati,  at  Wood's  Theatre,  and  left  the 
impression,  that  though  rather  an  unequal  actor,  as  might  be 
expected  of  one  of  his  limited  experience,  he  gave  un- 
mistakable evidence  of  dramatic  talent.  He  had,  added,  to 
his  native  genius,  of  a  voice  musically  full  and  rich,  a  face 
almost  classic  in  outline,  features  highly  intellectual,  a  pierc- 
ing black  eye,  capable  of  expressing  the  fiercest  and  the 
tenderest  passion  and  emotion,  and  a  commanding  figure  and 
impressive  stage  address.  In  his  transitions  from  the  quiet 
and  reflective  passages  of  a  part  too  fierce  and  violent  out- 
breaks of  passion,  his  sudden  and  impetuous  manner  had  in 
it  something  of  that  electrical  force  and  power  which  made 
the  elder  Booth  so  celebrated,  and  called  up  afresh  to  the 
memory  of  men  of  the  last  generation,  the  presence,  voice, 
and  manner  of  his  father.  Convivial  in  his  habits,  sprightly 
and  genial  in  conversation,  John  Wilkes  made  many  acquain- 
tances and  friends  among  the  young  men  of  his  own  age  in 
the  city — an  acquaintance  that  was  renewed  during  two  sub- 
sequent engagements. 

Our  recollection  of  Booth  is  somewhat  indistinct ;  but  we 
remember  his  features  in  repose  had  rather  a  sombre  and 
melancholy  cast;  yet  under  agreeable  influence  or  emotion, 
the  expression  was  very  animated  and  glowing.  His  hair,  jet 
black  and  glossy,  curled  slightly,  set  off  in  due  relief  a 
high  intellectual  forehead  and  face  full  of  intelligence.  Both 
chin  and  nose  were  markedly  prominent,  and  the  firm  set 
lips  and  lines  about  the  mouth  indicated  firmness  of  will, 
decision,   and    resolution.     He    was    scrupulously    neat    in    his 


72  LIFE     AND    MAETIRDOM 

dress,  and  selected  his  habit  with  a  rare  perception  of  what 
was  becoming  to  his  figure  and  complexion.  He  would  pass 
any  where  for  a  neatly,  but  not  overly,  dressed  man  of 
fashion. 

Of  his  political  views  very  little  was  known.  He  kept  a 
still  tongue  on  the  subject,  so  far  as  we  have  heard.  Being 
of  Southern  birth  and  education,  it  was  presumed  his  sym- 
pathies tended  in  that  direction ;  but  he  exhibited  no  par- 
ticular warmth  or  zeal  for  the  Rebellion,  and  nothing  to  in- 
dicate the  remotest  desire  to  further  the  cause  by  so  much 
as  giving  it  pecuniary  aid,  much  less  personal  assistance.  It 
is  reported  by  a  gentleman  who  heard  the  conversation,  that 
during  his  engagement  in  Louisville  in  1862,  Booth  fell 
into  a  controversy  with  the  treasurer  of  the  theatre — a  rabid 
secessionist — while  standing  one  morning  in  the  box-office. 
He  remarked  in  efi'ect  that  he  was  a  Southern  man,  and 
liked  the  people  of  the  South,  who  had  been  kind  to  him, 
but  he  could  not,  for  all  that,  admit  that  they  had  any 
right  or  occasion  to  secede;  that  they  had  it  all  their  own 
way  in  Congress,  and  that  if  they  insisted  on  fighting  they 
should  have  taken  the  American  flag  and  fought  under  that. 
There  is  another  story,  to  the  efi'ect  that  Booth,  while  play- 
ing an  engagement  in  Cleveland  a  year  or  more  ago,  assert- 
ed in  a  public  bar-room  that  the  man  who  would  kill  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  would  gain  a  more  enviable  notoriety  than 
Washington  himself.  It  is  of  course  impossible  to  say  whether 
these   reported   sayings   are   apocryphal    or    not. 

The  last  appearance  of  Booth  on  the  stage  (except  at 
one  or  two  benefits  in  Washington),  was  at  the  Winter  Gar- 
den,  New  York;   and,  in   conjunction   with   his   brothers,    Ed« 


OFABRAHAMLINCOLN.  Y3 

%vin  and  Junius  Brutus,  in  the  play  of  "Julius  Cffisar,"  for 
the  benefit  of  tho  Shakespeare  Monument  Fund.  He  was, 
we  believe,  to  have  played  with  them  again  at  the  same 
theatre,  on  the  22(1  of  April,  for  the  benefit  of  the 
same  fund.  The  play  selected  was  "Uomeo  and  Juliet",  the 
cast  of  the  Booths  being — John  Wilkes  as  Borneo,  Edwin  as 
Mercutio,   and   Junius   as   Friar   Lawrence. 

As  the  public  journals  have  been  and  are  still  filled  with 
paragraphs  concerning  Booth's  connection  with  the  oil  busi- 
ness, it  may  prove  interesting  to  learn  that  the  "War  De- 
partment have  thoroughly  examined  this  matter,  and  the  fol- 
lowing  are   the   facts   established : 

"  J.  Wilkes  Booth  never  was  in  the  oil  regions  of  Penn- 
sylvania but  once,  and  that  was  last  summer.  He  stayed  two 
days  at  the  Petroleum  House  in  Oil  City,  and  then  started, 
as  be  said,  for  New  York.  He  is  traced  to  Salamanca  and 
thence  to  Bufi'alo,  whence  it  is  supposed  he  went  into  Canada. 
He  never  purchased  a  single  barrel  of  oil  anywhere  in  the 
whole  oil  territory  of  this  State,  never  purchased,  owned  or 
rented  a  lease,  well,  or  parcel  of  ground  in  the  State.  Not 
a  single  oil  company  is  yet  found  in  which  he  ever  held  a 
single  share  or  interest  of  any  kind !  Not  a  solitary  indi- 
vidual can  be  found  who  ever  sold  him  anything,  or  traded 
or  bartered  with  him  for  anything  in  the  oil  regions.  And 
the  most  singular  circumstance  is  that  not  a  single  individual 
can  be  found  in  the  oil  regions  of  Pennsylvania  who  ever 
met  Booth   here   and   knew   him  at  the  time ! 

BOSTON    CO  RBETT. 
Boston   Corbett,    the    hero    of    Booth's    capture,    was    born    in 
London,    England.      He   was   brought    to    New    York    by    big 

8 


Y4  LIFEANDMARTYKDOM 

father,  at  eigth  years  of  age.  He  subsequently  went  to  Bos- 
ton, where  he  was  baptized  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Church.  He  says,  at  that  time  desiring  to  lead  a  new  life,  he 
changed  his  former  given  name  and  was  baptized  "Boston." 
His  subsequent  residence  has  been  in  New  York,  when  he 
enlisted  in  the  16th  Cavalry,  He  is  as  modest  as  he  is  de- 
voted, and  his  lieutenant  pronounces  him  a  most  worthy  sol- 
dier. He  was  offered  one  of  Booth's  pistols  by  the  detect- 
ives as  a  momento  of  the  occasion ;  but  he  declined  it  say- 
ing, he  desired  no  reminder  of  the  sad  duty  he  had  to  per- 
form, and  desired  to  have  it  banished  from  his  mind  as  soon 
as  possible.  He  was  recently  offered  one  hundred  dollars 
for  his  own  pistol  with  which  he  killed  Booth;  but  he  in- 
stantly replied,  "That  is  not  mine — it  belongs  to  the  Govern- 
ment, and  I  would  not  sell  it  for  any  price."  Being  spoken 
to  about  the  large  reward,  he  replied  he  desired  no  reward 
for  having  done  what  God  made  manifest  to  him,  in  answer 
to  prayer,  was  his  duty  to  do.  He  remarked,  however,  that 
if  the  Government  wished  to  reward  him,  and  would  allow 
him  to  keo-p  his  little  horse,  when  his  term  of  service  waa 
over,   it   would   be   all   he   could   wish. 

PURSUIT    AND     CAPTURE. 

The  first  traces  of  Booth  were  discovered  by  Col.  Baker, 
who  recently  made  the  successful  raid  on  the  bounty  jump- 
ers and  brokers  of  New  York  city.  It  appears  that  Booth's 
leg  was  fractured  in  jumping  from  the  President's  box.  Upon 
mounting  his  horse  he  proceeded  toward  the  lower  counties 
of  Maryland,  after  being  joined  by  Harrold  who  was  intimate- 
ly   acquainted  with    the    swamps     and    hiding    places    of    that 


OP     ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  75 

region.  At  first,  Booth  scarcely  noticed  his  leg ;  but  after 
riding  a  few  miles,  the  pain  became  so  intense  that  he  went 
to  the  house  of  Dr.  Mudd,  in  Charles  county,  and  had  it 
set  at  3  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  Sunday,  April  16th,  the 
second  day  after  the  murder  of  the  President.  Dr.  Mudd 
split  Booth's  boot  open  to  get  it  oflP,  and  when  he  left  the 
doctor  gave  him  a  pair  of  crutches,  and  it  is  supposed  he 
left  in  an  easterly  direction  from  the  neighborhood  of  Bry- 
antown.  They  then  reached  Turner's,  about  five  miles  from 
Bryantown,  and  while  taking  some  refreshments,  the  servant 
was  sent  to  inform  the  neighbors  of  their  presence,  Booth 
having  been  recognized.  They  discovered  the  dilemma  they 
were  in,  and  seizing  the  food  on  the  table,  decamped  and 
took  refuge  in  the  swamps  and  underbrush.  Some  lady  in 
Maryland  presented  Booth  with  a  buff"alo  robe  which  was 
consumed  in  the  fire  at  Garrett's  barn,  in  which  he  was 
captured.  Col.  Baker's  force  traced  him  to  Dr.  Mudd's 
house,  and  the  doctor  was  arrested  by  the  military,  with 
one  of  Booth's  boots. in  his  possession,  which  had  Booth's 
name  in  it.  The  doctor  was  immediately  taken  to  Washing- 
ton. 

Learning  that  no  traces  of  him  could  be  found  after  his 
departure  from  the  house  of  Dr.  Mudd,  near  Port  Tobacco, 
where  his  fractured  leg  was  set,  Col.  Baker  became  satisfied 
that  Booth  must  have  crossed  the  Potomac  and  escaped  into 
Virginia,  at,  or  near,  Aquia  Creek.  He  therefore  procured  an 
order  for  General  Hancock  to  furnish  him  twenty-six  picked 
cavalrymen  to  act  as  an  escort  to  his  brother.  Lieutenant 
Baker,  and  Lieutenant  Colonel  Conger,  who  were  to  conduct 
them   upon   a   route   which   a   careful    consultation  of   the    map 


76  LIFE      AND      MARTYRDOM 

of  Virginia  had  indicated  as  the  one  most  likelj  to  be  taken 
by  Booth.  They  proceeded  down  the  river  to  Belle  Plain, 
in  the  steamer  Ides,  and  thence  disembarking,  rode  across  to 
a  point  opposite  Port  Koyal  on  the  Rappahannock.  Here  was 
a  scow  ferry,  and  the  ferryman  was  critically  questioned  as 
to  the  passage  of  any  such  party  as  Booth  and  Harrold. 
The  Virginia  ferryman  could  remember  nothing  of  such  per- 
sons ;  but  while  Lieutenant  Baker  was  exhibiting  Booth's  pho- 
tograph with  the  view  of  refreshing  his  memory,  a  darker  col- 
ored but  more  loyal  Virginian,  employed  as  an  assistant  on 
the  ferry,  baijpened  to  see  the  photograph  over  the  detec- 
tive's shoulder,  and  instantly  replied,  "Yes,  master,  I  knows 
dat  man,  I  set  um  across  de  river  t'other  day,  wid  three 
Oder  men,  in  two  boss  wagon."  The  white  proprietor  could 
remember  nothing  whatever,  yet  the  trail  was  deemed  good. 
At  Port  Eoyal  they  took  the  Bowling  Green  Eoad,  and  pass- 
ed the  farm  house  of  the  Garretts,  which,  being  about  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  road  they  passed,  and  rode  on 
several  miles.  This  was  about  3  o'clock,  A.  M.  They  met 
another  colored  Virginian,  however,  and  from  bim  learned 
that  a  party,  such  as  was  inquired  for,  was  left  at  Mr.  Gar- 
rett's two  days  before,  by  two  rebel  officers.  The  party  then 
wheeled  and  returned  to  Garrett's  house.  Lieutenant  Baker 
dismounted  and  demanded  admittance  and  the  surrender  of 
Booth.  The  senior  Garrett  denied  all  knowledge  of  Booth ; 
but  seeing  Baker  manipulate  his  revolver,  bethought  him  of 
two  Confederate  soldiers  who  had  been  stopping  at  his  house, 
one  of  whom  was  wounded.  He  pretended  he  knew  nothing 
of  their  names  j  he  said  they  had  been  apprised  that  the 
Union  cavalry  was  about  and  had  left  the   house,  demanding 


OP    ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  77 

his  horses  and  saying  they  must  get  away ;  but  he  (Gar- 
rett) stoutly  refused  to  let  his  horses  go,  fearing,  he  said, 
he  should  never  get  them  again.  So  Booth  and  Harrold 
fled  to  the  barn,  and  Grarrett  sent  his  son  to  watch  the 
barn  to  see  that  they  did  not  steal  the  horses,  and  that 
he  was  at  that  moment  hiding  in  the  corn-house  adjoining 
the  barn.  This  was  found  to  be  as  stated.  Lieutenant  Ba- 
ker then  went  to  the  barn  door  and  knocked  heavily  with 
his  revolver  upon  the  door,  shouting  out,  "Booth,  Booth." 
After  a  protracted  silence,  Baker  continued  the  knocking 
and  calling — Booth  came  to  the  door  and  asked,  "Who  are 
you,  and  what  do  you  want  ?  Are  you  Confederate  or  Yan- 
kee ?"  Baker  replied,  giving  his  name,  when  Booth  de- 
clared he  would  shoot  the  first  man  who  attempted  to  enter 
the  barn. 

When  challenged  to  come  out  and  surrender,  he,  in  a  very 
wild  and  excited  tone,  demanded  to  know  who  they  supposed 
him  to  be  and  by  what  authority,  desiring  to  know  of  what 
crime  he  was  charged,  and  evincing  the  greatest  excitement 
and  talking  very  incoherently.  The  officers  demanded  him  to 
come  forth  and  give  himself  up.  He  refused  to  do  so  and 
threatened  to  shoot  whoever  should  approach.  He  said  he 
was  alone  there,  but  he  would  never  surrender.  Sergeant 
Boston  Corbett  was  stationed  at  a  corner  of  the  barn  where 
there  was  a  board  off,  and  where  he  was  exposed  to  Booth's 
fire.  He  expressed  a  desire  to  go  in  and  secure  him,  saying 
he  was  willing  to  venture  his  life  in  the  encounter  and  had 
much  I'ather  go  in  and  attack  him  than  to  stand  in  his  ex- 
posed position ;  but  it  was  so  evident  that  Booth  meant  to 
sell  his  life  as  dearly  as  possible,  that  Lieutenant  Doherty 
would  not  permit  him  to  enter.     The   officers   then  gave  Booth 


i8  LIFEAND     MARTYRDOM 

five  minutes  to  surrender  or  else  the  barn  would  be  fired. 
Nearly  a  half  hour  was  consumed  in  the  parley,  however, 
when  fire  was  set  to  the  barn.  During  the  progress  of  the 
flames  Booth  was  seen  by  Corbett,  aiming  his  Spencer  car- 
bine at  one  of  the  men.  Corbett,  who  is  a  deeply  religious 
man,  says  he  prayed  fervently  for  Booth,  and  that  God 
would  have  mercy  upon  his  soul,  and  feeling  that  he  was 
justified  in  shooting  him  to  prevent  the  possible  death  of 
another  innocent  man,  approached  the  crack  in  the  barn  lev- 
eled his  revolver  and  fired.  His  shot,  by  a  strange  coinci- 
dence, entered  his  head  in  almost  precisely  the  same  spot 
that  President  Lincoln  was  shot;  the  ball  passed  through 
and  out  of  the  upper  part  of  the  neck  on  the  opposite  side. 
Booth  instantly  fell,  and  his  carbine  dropped  heavily  with 
him.  He  was  standing  at  the  time  supported  by  a  crutch  ; 
his  body  was  immediately  removed  from  the  burning  barn. 
This  took  place  just  at  daybreak  of  the  26th  of  April,  and 
he   lived    till    almost   seven   o'clock. 

Booth  and  Harrold  reached  Garrett's  on  the  24:th,  Booth 
walking  on  crutches.  A  party  of  four  or  five  accompanied 
them  who  spoke  of  Booth  as  a  wounded  Marylander  on  his 
way  home,  and  that  they  wished  to  leave  him  there  a  short 
time,  and  they  would  take  him  away  by  the  20th.  Booth 
limped  somewhat  and  walked  on  crutches  about  the  place 
complaining  of  his  ankle.  He  and  Harrold  regularly  took 
their  meals  at  the  house,  and  both  kept  up  appearances  well. 
One  day  at  the  dinner  table  the  conversation  turned  on  the 
assassination  of  the  President,  when  Booth  denounced  the 
crime  in  the  strongest  terms,  saying  that  there  was  no  pun- 
ishment severe  enough  for  the  perpetrator.  At  another  time, 
some    one   said   in  Booth's  presence  that    rewards    amounting   to 


0 

OF     ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  Y9 

$200,000  had  been  offered  for  Booth,  and  that  he  would  like 
to  catch  him,  when  Booth  replied,  "  Yes,  it  would  be  a 
good  haul,  but  the  amount  will  doubtless  soon  be  increased 
to  $500,000."  The  Garretts,  who  lived  on  the  place,  allege 
that  they  had  no  idea  that  these  parties,  Booth  and  Har- 
rold,  were  any  other  than  what  their  friends  represented  them 
— paroled  Confederate  soldiers  on  their  way  home.  They 
also'  say,  that  when  the  cavalry  appeared  in  that  neighbor- 
hood and  they  heard  they  weie  looking  for  the  assassins  that 
they  sent  word  to  them  that  these  two  men  were  on  the 
place.  In  other  words  they  assert  that  they  are  entirely  in- 
nocent of  giving  the  assassins  any  aid  and  comfort,  knowing 
them   to   be  such. 

Another  account  says,  that  the  detachment  of  the  16th 
New  York  Cavalry  under  Lieutenant  Doherty,  numbering 
twenty-eight  men  and  accompanied  by  two  of  Colonel  Baker's 
detective  force,  which  went  down  the  river  on  Monday  even- 
ing, obtained  the  first  news  of  Booth  at  Port  Eoyal  on  Tues- 
day evening,  from  an  old  man  who  stated  that  four  men  in 
company  with  a  rebel  captain,  had  crossed  the  Rappahannock 
a  short  time  previous  going  •  in  the  direction  of  Bowling 
Green,  and  he  added  that  the  captain  would  probably  be 
found  in  that  place,  as  he  was  courting  a  lady  there.  On 
pushing  on  to  Bowling  Green  the  captain  was  found  at  the 
hotel  and  taken  into  custody.  From  him  it  was  ascertained 
that  Booth  and  Harrold  were  at  the  house  of  John  &  Will- 
iam Garrett,  three  miles  back  toward  Port  Boyal,  and  about 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  road  passed  over  by  the  cavalry. 
In  the  meantime,  it  appears  that  Booth  and  Harrold  applied 
to   Garrett   for   horses   to  ride  to   Louisa  Court  House,  but  the 


80  LIFE     AND     MARTYRDOM 

latter  fearing  the  horses  would  not  be  returned,  refused  tc 
hire  them  notwithstandiuo;  the  lar^e  sums  offered.  These  cir- 
cumstances,  together  with  the  re-criminations  of  Booth  and 
Harrold,  each  charging  the  other  with  tlie  responsibility  of 
their  difficulties,  had  aroused  the  suspicions  of  the  Garrett 
brothers  who  urged  Booth  and  Harrold  to  leave  lest  they 
(the  G-arretts)  should  get  into  trouble  with  the  cavalry.  This 
Booth  refused  to  do  without  a  horse,  and  the  two  men  re- 
tired to  a  barn  the  door  of  which,  after  they  had  entered 
Garrett  locked,  and  remained  himself  on  guard  in  a  neighbor- 
ing corn-crib,  as  he  states,  to  prevent  the  horses  from  being 
taken  and  ridden  off  in  the  night  by  Booth  and  Harrold. 
Upon  the  approach  of  the  cavalry  from  Bowling  Green,  about 
three  o'clock  on  Wednesday  morning,  the  Garretts  came  out 
of  the  corn-crib  to  meet  them,  and  in  answer  to  their  inqui- 
ries directed  them  to  the  barn.  Booth  was  at  once  sum- 
moned to  surrender  but  refused.  Harrold  expressed  his  wil- 
lingness to  give  himself  up  but  was  overruled  by  Booth  for 
some  time;  he  finally  surrendered,  leaving  Booth  in  the  barn. 
The  latter  then  assuming  a  defiant  air  called  out  to  know 
the  commanding  ofl&cer,  and  •  proposed  to  him  that  his  men 
should  be  drawn  up  at  fifty  yards  distance,  when  he  would 
come  out  and  fight  them.  After  the  barn  had  been  burning 
three  quarters  of  an  hour,  and  when  the  roof  was  about  fall- 
ing in  Booth  who  had  been  standing  with  a  revolver  in  one 
hand  and  a  carbine  resting  on  the  floor  made  a  demonstra- 
tion as  if  to  break  through  the  guard  and  escape.  To  pre- 
vent this  Sergeant  Corbutt  fired  intending  to  hit  Booth  in 
the  shoulder  so  as  to  cripple  him.  The  ball  however,  struck 
a   little    too   high,   and   entered   the   neck,    resulting    fatally    as 


OF     ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  81 

before  stated.  In  liis  leather  belt  whicb  he  wore,  was  found 
the  dirk  which  he  so  tragically  brandished  upon  the  stage, 
with  clotted  blood  dried  upon  its  blade.  This  knife,  his  car- 
bine and  two  revolvers  which  he  also  had  upon  his  person, 
holding  one  in  each  hand  at  the  time  of  being  shot,  and 
while  aiming  his  carbine,  were  all  taken  to  Washington  with 
his   body. 

Booth's  confederate  and  companion  Harrold  came  out  of 
the  barn  at  the  first  fire  in  an  excited  state  of  fright  and 
professed  contrition  with  his  arms  upraised.  He  also  audibly 
besought  Booth  to  surrender,  without  avail  however.  Booth 
in  his  forced  hauteur  shouted  out  just  before  Harrold  left 
him,  "  Here  captain  is  one  man  who  wants  to  surrender 
mighty  bad."  He  had  but  a  moment  previous  insisted  that 
no  one  was  in  the  barn  with  him.  Harrold  is  pronounced  a 
mean  cowardly  boy.  He  said  he  wished  J.  "Wilkes  Booth  had 
been  dead  before  he  had  ever  seen  him,  and  then  remarked 
with  a  silly  tone  and  action,  "  He  always  liked  Mr.  Lincoln 
and  was  very  fond  of  his  jokes."  Harrold  was  taken  to  Wash- 
ington   and   confined  among  the  other  prisoners. 

Booth,  before  he  died,  was  apparently  rational,  but  talked 
at  random,  and  contradicted  himself  as  he  had  done 
throughout,  and  said,  "Tell  my  Mother,  I  have  died  for  my 
country.  You  gentlemen  have  spoiled  my  fun  in  Mexico." 
He  seemed  conscious  of  the  near  approach  of  death,  but 
died  as  frivilous  and  hardened  as  he  had  lived.  His  body 
was  fully  identified  by  his  initials  on  his  hand,  in  India 
ink — his  memorandum  books  and  other  papers,  and  by  the 
personal  recognition,  before  and  after  death,  of  the  detec- 
tive officers   who  knew  him.      He  had  his  moustache   shaved 


82  LIFEANDMARTYRDOM 

off  and  had  a  uniform  beard  of  four  or  five  days.  He 
wore  a  gray  woolen  shirt ;  had  on  dark  cassimere  pants ;  one 
cavalry  or  theatre  top  boot  which  drew  up  above  the 
knee,  but  was  turned  down  when  captui-ed.  On  the  other 
foot  he  had  an  old  shoe.  His  leg  was  bandaged  where  it 
was  broken.  Harrold  said  Booth  had  a  third  revolver 
which  was  burned  up  in  the  barn.  Booth  wanted  to  know 
where  they  would  take  him  if  he  would  give  himself  up. 
He  was  informed  by  the  detectives  that  he  must  make  an 
unconditional  surrender.  He  is  said  to  have  showered  im- 
precations upon  his  confederates,  who,  he  said,  had  promised 
to   stand  by  him   but   had   all  deserted  him. 

Booth  was  brought  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Garrett  by  a 
Confederate  Captain,  who  told  Mr.  Garrett  that  he  was  a 
Marylander  who  was  endeavoring  to  make  his  way  to 
Johnston's  army.  Several  small  squads  of  rebel  cavalry 
were  seen  hovering  about,  and  were  no  doubt  attempting 
to  cover   his    escape. 

Booth  had  $105  in  greenbacks,  and  sundry  Canadian  bills 
of  exchange,  dated  last  October.  His  hair  was  badly  matted 
— his  clothing  soiled — and  the  body  looked  more  like  that 
of  a   dirt  bearer  than   that  of  the   whilom   fop. 

Harrold  said  he  was  outside  the  theatre  on  horse  back, 
awaiting  Booth's  coming  out,  on  the  night  of  the  murder 
— that  some  how  Booth  got  out  and  passed  him  without 
his  seeing  him,  and  that  he  galloped  four  miles  across 
the  Anacosta  bridge,  before  he  overtook  Booth.  He  said 
Booth  injured  his  leg  by  jumping  on  the  stage  and  not 
by  falling  off  his  horse — that  they  changed  their  intended 
course   and  rode   directly  to    the    house   of  Dr.   Mudd,  near 


OPA.BRAnAMLINCOLN.  83 

Port  Tobacco,  to  have  his  leg  cared  for ;  but  they  secret- 
ed themselves  thereabout  several  days — saw  the  scouts  pasa 
and  re-pass,  and  finally  got  across  the  Potomac  by  paying 
three  hundred  dollars  for  an  old  scow.  Booth  and  Harrold 
narrowly  escaped  capture  on  the  Maryland  side  of  the  Po- 
tomac. Marshal  Murray  and  a  posse  of  New  York  detec- 
tives, tracked  them  to  within  a  short  distance  of  Swain 
Point;  but  the  Marshal  being  unacquainted  with  the  coun 
try,  and  without  a  guide,  during  the  darkness  of  the  night, 
took  the  wrong  road,  and  before  he  could  regain  the  trail, 
Booth  and  Harrold  succeeded  in  crossing  the  river  to  Vir- 
ginia. 

After  the  death  of  Booth,  his  body  was  placed  in  a 
cart  and  conveyed  across  to  Belle  Plain,  to  the  steamer 
Ides,  which  awaited  the  return  of  the  party,  and  brought 
to  Washington.  The  two  Garretts,  who  were  paroled  sol- 
diers of  Lee's  army,  and  had  just  returned  home,  were 
brought  up  as  prisoners  also.  Harrold,  and  Booth's  body 
were  safely  lodged  on  a  gunboat,  at  Washington,  on  the 
27th  of  April,  and  the  Garretts  placed  in  the  Old  Cap- 
itol. 

Surgeon  General  Barnes  held  an  autopsy  upon  Booth's 
body,  on  the  27th.  The  smaller  bone  of  his  left  leg  was 
badly  fractured — one  of  the  smaller  arteries  ruptured— and 
the  leg  badly  swollen.  The  ball  entered  the  left  side  of 
the  upper  section  of  the  neck,  passing  out  on  the  oppo- 
site  side. 


84  LIFEAKDMARTYKDOM 


ATTACK  ON  SECRETARY  SEWARD. 


Lewis  Paine,  the  person  who  made  the  attempt  on  the  life 
of  Secretary  Seward,  gained  admittance  to  the  house  by  repre- 
senting himself  as  one  sent  there  with  a  prescription.  When 
near  the  room  in  which  Mr.  Seward  was  lying,  he  was  met 
by  Frederick  W.  Seward,  who  demanded  who  he  was  and 
what  he  wanted  ;  Payne  made  no  reply,  but  striking  him 
a  blow  with  the  butt  of  a  pistol  and  cutting  him  with  a 
knife,  rushed  into  the  room,  he  made  his  way  to  the  bedside 
of  Mr.  Seward,  who  was  lying  on  a  low  couch  with  his  head 
inclined  to  the  right.  The  thrusts  of  the  knife  were  received 
in  the  cheek  and  neek.  Mr.  Seward's  attendant  came  in- 
stantly to  his  aid,  and  the  assailant  thinking  probably  he 
had  completed  his  work,  grappled  with  him.  The  tussle  was 
of  some  minutes  duration,  during  which  time  the  attendant 
received  some  very  severe  wounds.  From  loss  of  blood  he 
Bank  to  the  floor,  and  Payne  endeavored  to  escape.  He  was 
met  at  the  door  by  Augustus  H.  Seward,  whom  he  struck 
with  his  knife,  inflicting  a  dangerous  wound.  Ilis  efl'orts  to 
escape  were  further  arrested,  but  he  seems  to  have  become 
inspired  with  desparation,  and  all  who  met  him  on  his  way 
^t   of  the   bouse,   felt   the   keen   edge   of  his   blade. 

Payne   after   leaving  Mr.    Seward's    house,    rode    out    of    the 


OF     ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  .  85 

city  with  all  possible  speed.  After  going  some  distance  he 
dismounted  and  disguising  himself  as  best  he  could,  returned 
to  the  city.  Pretending  to  be  a  laboring  man,  and  with  a 
pick  on  his  shoulder  he  proceeded  to  the  residence  of  Mrs. 
Surratt.  It  was  now  nearly  daylight  and  the  oflBcers  had  tak- 
en   possession   of  the   house. 

Knocking  at  the  door  which  was  opened  by  an  officer,  he 
was  admitted  but  was  surprised  and  disconcerted  at  finding 
himself  overpowered.  His  replies  to  questions  put  to  him 
were  incoherent,  and  satisfied  the  officers  of  his  complicity  ia 
the   murderous   transactions    of  the   night. 


SKETCHES. 


PAYNE. 


Payne  is  shown  to  have  been  the  confederate  of  Booth,  and 
the  one  who  assaulted  with  intent  to  kill  Secretary  Seward,  Fred- 
erick W.  Seward,  Augustus  H.  Seward,  Emerick  N.  Hansell  and 
George  F.  Robinson.  The  antecedents  of  Payne  are  not  known, 
and  the  first  of  him  is  his  appearance  at  the  house  of  Mrs.  Surratt 
in  the  early  part  of  March  last,  when  he  stated  that  his 
name  wss  Wood.  He  called  for  John  H.  Surratt  but  in  his 
absence  he  asked  for  Mrs.  Surratt.  He  lodged  there  that  night, 
.taking  his  meals  in  his  room,  and  departed  the  next  day.  About 
the  same  time  he  took  a  room  in  company  with  O'Laughlin  in  a 
boarding  house  in  D  street,  where  Booth  visited  them  frequently. 
Here   O'Laughlin   and   Payne   remained    about   three  weeks. 

Afterwards  Payne  put  up  two  or  three  days  at  Surratt's,  where 
John  H.  Surratt,  Atzeroth,  Booth  and  himself  had  secret  consul- 
tations. On  this  second  visit  Payne  represented  to  some  of  the 
members  of  the  family  that  he  was  a  Baptist  preacher.  He  and 
Surratt  were  found  at  one  time  in  the  bedroom  playing  with  bowie 
knives.  In  this  same  room  were  two  revolvers,  and  four  sets  of 
spurs  similar  to  the  revolvers  and  spur  found  in  Atzeroth's 
room  at  the  Kirkwood  House.  At  another  time  just  before  the 
assassination  he   was   found  occupying  a   room   at   Herndon 

(86) 


OF    ABRAHAM    LINOOLK.  87 

HARROLD. 

Harrold  is  a  young  man  less  than  twenty-lSve  years  of  age, 
a  native  of  Washington,  formerly  a  druggist's  clerk  in  that 
city,  but  for  some  months  without  any  known  means  of  sup- 
port though  during  that  time  apparently  well  supplied  with  money 
He  has  frequently  been  in  St.  Mary's  county,  Maryland,  always 
taking  his  gun  with  him.  On  the  night  of  the  assassination  he 
was  seen  at  the  livery  stable  with  Booth,  and  the  evidence 
obtained  before  the  court  shows  him  to  have  been  Booth's 
accomplice.  It  is  shown  by  the  evidence  that  he  was  several 
times  discovered  in  secret  meetings  with  Booth,  Atzeroth  and 
others  of  the  conspiracy.  He  was  found  at  Mrs.  Surratt's  in 
company  with  them.  Accompanied  by  Surratt  and  Atzeroth 
he  called  at  the  tavern  in  Surrattsville  and  left  the  two  car- 
bines, the  ammunition,  &c.,  which  were  taken  from  that 
place  by  him  and  Booth  on  the  night  of  the  assassination.  Dur- 
ing their  flight  he  acknowledged  to  Confederate  soldiers  that 
he  and  Booth  were  the  assassins  of  the  President.  There  is  no 
doubt  whatever  of  his  guilt,  and  we  trust  he  will  suffer  the 
penalty  of  his  crime  as  it  shall  be  defined  by  the  commis- 
sion. 

ATZEROTH. 

Atzeroth  like  Harrold  is  proven  to  have  been  a  co-conspi- 
rator. He  made  his  first  appearance  at  Mrs.  Surratt's  in  the 
early  part  of  February,  where  he  inquired  for  John  H.  Surratt 
or  Mrs.  Surratt,  and  was  frequently  found  in  secret  communi- 
cation with  Booth  and  his  confederates.  To  him  was  assigned 
the  murder  of  President  Johnson  at  the  Kirkwood  house.  It 
does  not  appear  however  that  he  made  any  eflFort  to  get  access 


88  LIFEANDMARTYRUOM 

to  his  intended  victim  on  tlie  evening  of  the  14th  of  April. 
On  the  morning  of  that  day,  he  took  a  room  at  Kirkwood's,  and 
was  seen  there  at  noon,  and.  about  six  o'clock  in  the  evening. 
He  was  traced  there  on  horseback,  but  was  not  ajDparently 
about  the  house  after  that  hour.  He  proved  false  to  his 
confederates.  He  was  active  in  his  co-operation  with  them 
however  throughout  the  night  and  fled  at  daylight  the  next 
morning  J    of  his   guilt   there   is   not  a   shadow   of  doubt. 

MRS.     SURRATT. 

This  worthy,  it  appears,  was  cognizant  of  the  intended  crime 
almost  from  its  inception,  and  became  an  active  participant  in 
every  overt  act.  She  was  a  general  manager,  and  received 
and  entertained  at  her  house  all  the  criminals  except  Dr. 
Mudd,  O'Laughlin  and  Arnold.  With  Dr.  Mudd  she  planned 
the  means  and  assistance  for  the  escape  of  the  assassins. 
She  visited  Mudd  at  five  o'clock  on  the  day  of  the  assas- 
sination, to  see  that  the  carbines,  &c.,  should  be  in  readiness 
and  informed  him  that  they  would  be  called  for  that  night. 
Booth  frequently  called  at  her  house  and  had  long  interviews 
with  her.  He  was  with  her  in  the  afternoon  of  the  four- 
teenth. 

DR.     MUDD. 

Dr.  Mudd's  status  is  identical  with  the  foregoing.  Last  Novem- 
ber he  is  shown  to  have  been  in  the  confidence  of  Booth.  He 
had  a  meeting;  with  Surratt  and  Booth  at  the  National  Hotel 
in  January.  He  introduced  Booth  to  Surratt.  Booth  visited 
him  at  his  room  in  the  Pennsylvania  House.  When  the  as- 
sassins fled  to  his  house  he  dressed  Booth's  wound  and 
assisted  in   the   escape   of  Booth   and   Harrold. 


OF     ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  89 

Wten  the  officers  called  at  his  house,  Thursday  after  the 
assassination,  he  denied  that  he  knew  either  of  the  criminals, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  arrest  on  the  Friday  following,  ho 
prevaricated,  but  finally  admitted  outright  that  he  knew  Booth. 
He  says  he  first  heard  of  the  assassination  on  the  Sunday 
after  it  was  committed  at  church,  and  it  is  shown  that  he 
was  in  Bryantown  on  the  preceding  Saturday  at  the  time  when 
the  excitement  was  at  the  highest  pitch,  the  town  guarded 
by  soldiers,  and  every  man,  woman  or  child  in  the  place  had 
not  only  heard  of  the  murder,  but  knew  the  name  of  the 
assassin.  It  remains  to  be  seen  what  punishment  the  com- 
mission  will  inflict   upon   him. 


SPANGLER. 

Spangler  does  not  appear  to  have  been  in  the  conspiracy 
at  an  earlier  period  than  a  few  hours  before  the  commission 
of  the  crime.  If  he  be  guilty  his  participation  would  seem 
to  have  been  in  preparing  the  means  of  escape  by  keeping 
the  passage-way  clear  on  the  stage,  and  by  closing  the  door 
after  Booth  had  passed  through,  so  as  to  retard  the  move- 
ments of  pursuers.  He  knew  the  purpose  of  Booth,  and 
promised   a   few  minutes  before  the  murder  to  help  the  assassin. 


O'LAUGHLIN. 

O'Laughlin  is  shown  to  have  been  in  some  kind  of  conspir- 
acy with  Booth.  He  was  assigned  to  murder  General  Grant, 
but  whether  he  failed  through  lack  of  courage  or  from  dis- 
inclination does  not  appear.  Atzeroth  remarked  the  next  day, 
when   it  had   been  reported   that  General   Grant  had  been  shot 


I90  LIFEAXDMAKTTRDOM 

that  "probably  it  is  tbe  fact  if  he  was  followed  by  the  man 
that  was  to  do  it.  It  is  said  he  withdrew  from  the  conspiracy 
on  Friday  the   day   of  the   assassination. 

ARNOLD. 

Arnold  it  is  stated  quarrelled  with  Booth  and  withdrew 
from  the  conspiracy  and  went  to  Fortress  Monroe,  where  he 
was   prior   to   and   On   the  fourteenth   of  April. 


THE    OBSEQUIES. 


On  the  morning  of  the  15th  of  April,  at  half-past  nine, 
the  President's  body  was  removed  from  the  private  residence 
opposite  Ford's  Theatre  to  the  Executive  Mansion,  in  a 
hearse  and  wrapped  in  the  America  flag.  It  was  escorted 
by  a  small  guard  of  cavalry.  Gen.  Augur  and  other  mili- 
tary   officers   followed   on   foot. 

A  dense  crowd  accompanied  the  remains  to  the  White 
House,  where  a  military  guard  excluded  the  crowd,  allow- 
ing none  but  persons  of  the  household  and  personal  friends 
of   the   deceased   to   enter  the   premises. 

Flags  over  the  Departments  and  throughout  the  city 
were  at  half  mast.  Scarcely  any  business  was  transacted 
anywhere,  either  on  private  or  public  account.  Our  citi- 
zens, without  any  preconcert  whatever,  draped  their  pre- 
mises with  festoons  of  mourning.  The  bells  tolled  mourn- 
fully, all  was  the  deepest  gloom  and  sadness.  Strong  men 
wept  in  the  streets.  The  grief  was  wide-spread  and  deep, 
and  in  strange  contrast  to  the  joy  that  had  been  mani- 
fested over  our  recent  military  victories.  That  day  was 
indeed  a  day  of  gloom. 

The  body  was  embalmed,  with  a  view  to  its  removal  to 

Illinois,  and  laid    out    in    the   room  known    as    the    "  guests' 
91 


92  LIFE    AND    MAETYEDOM 

room,"  in  the  n(?rth-west  wing  of  the  "White  House.  It 
was  dressed  in  the  suit  of  black  clothes  worn  by  him  at 
his  late  inauguration.  The  catafalque  ujion  which  the 
body  rested  was  placed  in  the  south  part  of  the  east 
room,  and  was  somewhat  similar  in  style  to  that  used  on 
the    occasion    of   the   death   of   President   Harrison. 

THE  FUNERAL  AT  WASHINGTON. 

On  the  18th  the  obsequies  of  the  late  President,  at  the 
Executive  Mansion,  were  of  the  most  imposing  and  solemn 
character.  The  procession  was  very  large,  and  in  its  line 
were  many  of  the  most  eminent  citizens  of  the  rejiublic, 
civil,  military  and  naval,  including  President  Johnson,  Gen- 
eral Grant,  Vice  Admiral  Farragut,  the  members  of  the 
Cabinet,  Senators,  Rejjresentatives,  Governors  of  States  and 
numerous  others  of  distinction.  The  Foreign  Powers  were 
also  represented  by  their  Ministers.  The  route  of  the  pro- 
cession was  densely  thronged  by  thousands  of  8j)ectator8. 
Not  an  incident  occurred  to  mar  the  solemnity  of  the 
august  spectacle. 

The  procession  moved  from  the  White  House  at  2  o'clock 
P.  M.,  and  so  great  was  its  length  that  when  the  van 
reached  the  Capital  the  rear  was  still  at  Willard's  Hotel, 
nearly   a  mile   long. 

The  military  portion  of  the  procession  was  swelled  by 
various  civic  associations  from  Washington  and  other  cities^ 
and  a  large  number  of  State  delegations.  New  York. 
Pennsylvania,  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  New  Hampshire, 
Ohio,  Illinois,  Indiana,  Maryland,  West  Virginia,  and  seve 
ral  other  States  were  represented  by  large   delegations. 


OF     ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  93 

Officers  of  the  army  and  navy  occupied  a  prominent 
place  in  the  procession,  all  wearing  crape  upon  their  arms 
and  sword-hilts.  Several  colored  associations  were  also  rep- 
resented, one  of  which  bore  a  banner  with  the  inscription, 
"  we   mourn   our  loss." 

Death  had  fastened  into  the  frozen  face  of  the  corpse 
all  the  character  and  idiosyncrasy  of  life.  He  had  not 
changed  one  line  of  his  grave  grotesque  countenance,  nor 
smoothed  out  a  single  feature.  The  hue  was  rather  blood- 
less and  leaden;  but  he  was  always  sallow.  The  dark  eye- 
brows seemed  abruptly  ai'ched ;  the  beard,  which  will  gi-ow 
no  more,  was  shaved  close,  save  the  tuft  at  the  shoi-t, 
small  chin.  The  mouth  was  shut,  like  that  of  one  who 
had  put  the  foot  down  firm,  and  so  were  the  eyes,  which 
looked  as  calm  as  slumber.  The  collar  was  short  and 
awkward,  turned  over  the  stiff  elastic  cravat,  and  whatever 
energy  or  humor  or  tender  gravity  marked  the  living  face 
was  hardened  into  pulseless  outline.  No  corpse  in  the 
world  was  better  prepared  according  to  appearances.  The 
white  satin  around  it  reflected  sufficient  light  upon  the 
face  to  show  us  that  death  was  really  there;  but  there 
were  sweet  roses  and  early  magnolias,  and  the  balmiest  of 
lillies  strewn  around,  as  if  the  flowers  had  begun  to  bloom 
even  \ipon  his  coffin.  There  was  then  no  blood  in 
the  body ;  it  was  drained  by  the  jugular  vein  and  sacredly 
preserved,  and  through  a  cutting  on  the  inside  of  the  thigh 
the  empty  blood  vessels  were  charged  with  a  chemical 
preparation  which  hardened  to  the  consistence  of  stone. 
The  long  and  bony  body  was  hard  and  stiff,  so  that  it 
could  not  be  moved  any  more  than  the  arms  or  legs  of  a 
statue.     It  had    undergone    many    changes, 


94  LIFE      AND      MAKTYKDOM 

Close  by  the  corpse  sat  the  relatives  of  the  deceased ; 
plain,  honest,  hardy  people,  typical  as  much  of  the  simplic- 
ity of  our  institutions  as  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  self-made  emi- 
nence. No  blood  relations  of  Mr.  Lincoln  were  to  be 
found.  It  is  a  singular  evidence  of  the  poverty  of  his 
origin,  and  therefore  of  his  exceeding  good  report,  that, 
excepting  his  immediate  family,  none  answering  to  his  name 
could  be  discovered.  Mrs.  Lincoln's  relatives,  however, 
were  present  in  some  force.  Dr.  Lyman  Beecher  Todd, 
General  John  B.  S.  Todd,  C.  M.  Smith,  Esq.,  and  Mr.  N. 
W.  Edwards,  the  late  President's  brother-in-law.  Plain, 
self-made  people  were  here  and  were  sincerely  affected. 
Captain  Robert  Lincoln  sat  during  the  services  with  his  face 
in  his  handkerchief  weeping  quietly,  and  little  Thad,  his 
face  red  and  heated,  cried  as  if  bis  heart  would  break. 
Mrs.  Lincoln,  weak,  worn  and  nervous,  did  not  enter  the 
east  room  nor  follow  the  remains.  She  was  the  chief  mag- 
istrate's wife  the  day  before ;  then  a  widow  bearing  only 
an  immortal  name.  Among  the  neighbors  of  the  late  Pres- 
ident, who  came  from  afar  to  pay  respect  to  his  remains, 
was  one  old  gentleman  from  Richmond.  He  had  been  hot  in 
wrangle  upon  the  boat  with  some  officers  who  advised  the 
execution  of  all  rebel  leaders.  This  the  old  man  opposed, 
when  the  feeling  against  him  became  so  intense  that  he 
was  compelled  to  retire.  He  counselled  mercy,  good  faith 
and  forgiveness.  That  daj'-  the  men  who  had  called  him 
a  traitor,  saw  him  among  the  family  mourners,  bent  with 
grief.  All  these  were  waiting  in  solemn  lines,  standing 
erect,  with  a  space  of  several  feet  between  them  and  the 
coffin,   and    there   was   no   bustle    nor  unseemly   curiosity. 


OFABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  95 

But  the  first  accession  of  force  was  that  of  the  clergy, 
sixty  in  number.  They  were  devout  looking  men,  darkly 
attired,  coming  from  all  the  neighboring  cities  to  repre- 
sent every  denomination.  Five  years  ago  these  were  wi'ang- 
ling  over  slavery  as  a  theological  question,  and  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  war  it  was  hard,  in  many  of  their  bodies, 
to  carry  loyal  resolutions.  Then  there  were  there  such 
sincere  mourners,  as  Eobert  Pattison,  of  the  Methodist 
church,  who  passed  much  of  his  life  among  slaves  and 
masters.  He  and  the  rest  had  come  to  believe  that  the 
President  was  wise  and  right,  and  follow  him  to  his  grave, 
as  the  apostles  did  the  interred  on  calvary.  All  these  retired 
to  the  south  end  of  the  room,  facing  the  feet  of  the 
corpse,  and  stood  there  silently  waiting  for  the  coming  of 
others.  Very  soon  this  east  room  was  filled  with  the  rep- 
resentative intelligence  of  the  entire  nation.  The  governors 
of  States  stood  on  the  dais  next  to  the  head  of  the  cof- 
fin, with  the  various  features  of  Curtin,  Brough,  Fen  ton, 
Stone,  Oglesby  and  Ingraham.  Behind  them  were  the 
Maj-ors  and  Councilmen  of  many  towns  paying  their  last 
respects  to  the  representative  of  the  source  of  all  munici- 
pal freedom.  To  their  left  were  the  cor230rate  ofiicers  of 
Washington. 

Still  further  down  the  steps  and  closer  to  the  catafalque 
rested  the  manly  features  of  Augur,  whose  blood  has  trick- 
led forth  upon  the  field  of  battle ;  the  open,  almost  beard- 
less contour  of  Halleck,  who  has  often  talked  of  sieges 
and  campaigns  with  that  homely  gentleman  who  was  going 
to  the  grave.  There  were  many  more  bright  stars  twink- 
ling in  contiguous  shoulder  bars,  but  sitting  in  a  chair 
7 


96  LIFEANDMARTYRDOM 

upon  the  beflowered  carpet  was  Ulysses  Grant,  who  has 
lived  a  century  in  the  previous  three  weeks,  and  came 
that  day  to  add  the  lustre  of  his  ii-on  face  to  that  thrill- 
ing and  saddened  picture.  He"  wore  white  gloves  and 
sash,  and  was  swarthy,  nervous  and  almost  tearful,  his  feet 
crossed,  his  square,  receding  head  turning  now  here,  now 
there,  his  treble  constellation  blazing  upon  the  left  shoul- 
der only,  but  hidden  on  the  right,  and  one  could  read 
upon  his  compact  features  the  indurate  and  obstinate  will 
to  fight,  on  the  line  he  has  selected,  the  honor  of  the 
country  through  any  peril,  as  if  he  had  sworn  it  by  the 
slain  man's  bier,  his  state-fellow,  patron  and  friend.  Here 
also  was  the  thin  haired,  conical  head  of  Farragut,  close 
by  General  Grant,  with  many  naval  heroes  close  behind, 
Btorm  beaten,  and  every  inch  Americans  in  thought  and 
physiognomy. 

But  nearer  down,  and  just  opposite  the  catafalque,  so  that 
it  was  perpendicular  to  the  direction  of  vision,  stood  the  cen- 
tral powers  of  our  Government — its  President  and  counsellors. 
President  Johnson  facing  the  middle  of  the  coflSn,  upon  the 
lowest  step.  His  hands  were  crossed  uj5on  his  breast,  his 
dark  clothing  just  revealing  his  plaited  shirt,  and  upon  his 
full,  plethoric,  shaven  face,  broad  and  severely  compact,  two 
telling  grey  eyes  rested  under  a  thoughtful  brow,  whose  turn- 
inor  hair  is  gtraio;ht  and  smooth.  Beside  him  were  Vice-Pres- 
ident  Hamlin,  whom  he  succeeded ;  and  ex-Governor  King, 
his  most  intimate  friend,  who  lends  to  the  ruling  severity  of 
the  place  a  half  Falstaffian  episode.  The  Cabinet  were  be- 
hind, as  if  arranged  for  a  daguerreotypist.  Stanton,  short 
and  quicksilvery,  in  long  goatee  and   glasses,  in  stunted  con- 


OF     ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  9T 

trast  to  the  tall  and  snow-tijjped  shape  of  Mr.  Wells,  "With 
the  rest,  practical  and  attentive,  and  at  their  Bide,  was  Sec- 
retary Chase,  high,  dignified  and  handsome,  with  folded 
arms,  listening,  but  undemonstrative,  a  half  foot  higher  than 
any  spectator,  and  dividing  with  Charles  Sumner,  who  was 
near  by,  the  preference  for  manly  beauty  in  age.  With  Mr. 
Chase  were  other  justices  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  to  their 
left,  near  the  feet  of  tha  corpse,  were  the  revered  Senators, 
representing  the  oldest  and  newest  States — splendid  faces,  a 
little  worn  with  earlier  and  later  toils,  backed  up  by  the 
high,  classic  features  of  Col.  Forney.  Beyond,  were  the  re- 
presentatives and  leading  officials  of  the  various  departments, 
with  a  few  odd  folks,  like  George  Francis  Train,  exquisite  as 
ever,  and,  for  this  time  only,  with  nothing  to  say — not  a 
whisper,  not  a  footfall — only  the  collected  nation  looked  with 
awed  hearts  upon  eminent  death. 

At  12:10  amid  profound  silence,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Gurley  ap- 
proached the  head  of  the  catafalque,  announced  the  order  of 
the  religious  service,  when  Dr.  Hall,  Episcopalian,  read  a 
portion  of  the  Scriptures,  according  to  the  form  of  that 
Church. 

THE  OPENING  PRAYER 

The  opening  pi-ayer  was  made  by  Bishop  Simpson,  Metho- 
dist Episcopalian,  who  in  the  course  of  it,  said  that  in  the 
hands  of  God  were  the  issues  of  life  and  death.  Our  sins 
had  called  for  his  wrath  to  descend  upon  us  as  individuals, 
and  as  a  community.  For  the  sake  of  our  Blessed  Redeemer, 
forgiveness  was  asked  for  all  our  transgressions,  and  that  all 
our  iniquities  may    be    washed  away,  while    we    bow    under 


98  LIPEAND    MARTYRDOM 

this  sad  bereavement  which  has  caused  a  wide  spread  gloom 
not  only  in  this  circle  but  over  the  entire  land,  an  invoca- 
tion was  made  that  all  might   submit  to  God's  holy  will. 

Thanks  were  returned  for  the  gift  of  such  a  man  as  our 
Heavenly  Father  had  just  taken  from  us,  and  for  the  many 
virtues  which  distinguished  all  his  transactions ;  for  the  in- 
tegrity, honesty  and  transpai-ency  of  character  bestowed  upon 
him,  and  for  having  given  him  counseloi'S  to  guide  our  na- 
tion through  periods  of  unprecedent  sorrow.  He  was  per- 
mitted to  live  to  behold  the  breaking  of  the  clouds  which 
overhung  our  national  sky,  and  the  disentegration  of  the 
Rebellion.  Going  up  the  mount  he  beheld  the  land  of 
promise,  with  its  beauty  and  happiness  and  the  glorious 
destiny  reserved  for  us  as  a  nation.  Thanks  were  also  re- 
turned that  his  arm  was  strengthened  and  wisdom  and 
firmness  given  to  his  heart  to  pen  a  declaration  of  Eman- 
cipation, by  which  were  broken  the  chains  of  millions  of 
the  human  race.  God  be  thanked  that  the  assassin  who 
struck  down  the  Chief  Magistrate  had  not  the  hand  to 
again  bind  the  suffering  and  oppressed.  The  name  of  the 
beloved  dead  would  ever  be  identified  with  all  that  is 
great  and  glorious  with  humanity  on  earth.  God  grant 
that  all  who  stand  here  intrusted  with  the  administi-ation 
of  public  affairs,  may  have  the  power,  strength  and  wisdom 
to  complete  the  work  of  his  servant  so  gloriously  begun ; 
and  may  the  successor  of  the  deceased  President  not  bear 
the  sword  in  vain.  God  grant  that  strength  may  be  given 
to  him  and  to  our  military  to  perfect  victory  and  to  com- 
plete the  contest  now  nearly  closed.  May  the  spirit  of  re- 
bellion soon  pass  away.     May  the  last    vestige    of   Slavery, 


OFABRAHAMLINCOLN.  99 

which  caused  the  Rebellion,  be  driven  fi-om  our  laad, 
God  grant  that  the  sun  may  shine  on  a  free  people,  fi-om 
the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  and  from  the  lakes  to  the 
Gulf,  May  he  not  only  safely  lead  us  through  the  strug- 
gle, but  give  us  peace  with  all  nations  of  the  earth ;  give 
us  hearts  to  deal  justly  with  them,  and  give  them  hearts 
to  deal  justly  with  us,  so  that  universal  peace  may  reign 
on  earth.  We  raise  our  hearts  to  Thee  to  plead  that  Thy 
blessing  may  descend  on  the  family  of  the  deceased.  God 
bless  the  weeping  widow  in  her  broken-heartedness ;  she 
bows  under  a  sad  stroke,  more  than  she  can  bear.  En- 
circle her  in  thine  own  arms.  God  be  graciously  with  the 
children  left  behind  him.  Endow  his  sons  with  wisdom. 
From  on  high  endow  them  with  great  usefulness.  May 
they  appreciate  the  patriotic  examijle  and  virtues  of  their 
Father,  and  walk  in  his  footsteps.  We  pray  Thee,  the 
Bishop  said,  to  make  the  assassination  of  personal  profit 
to  our  hearts,  while  by  the  remains  of  the  deceased,  whom 
we  had  called  a  friend.  Do  Thou  grant  us  grace  and  re- 
pentance of  our  sins,  so  that  at  the  end  of  life  we  may 
be  gathered  where  assassins  are  not  found,  where  sorrow 
and  sickness  never  come,  but  all  gather  in  peace  and  love 
around  the  Father's  throne  and  glory.  We  pray  Thee 
that  -our  Eepublic  may  be  made  the  stronger  for  this 
blow,  while  here  we  pledge  ourselves  to  set  our  faces  as  a 
flint  against  every  form  of  opposition  which  may  rise  up 
for  its  destruction;  so  that  we,  the  childi'en,  may  enjoy 
the  blessed  advantages  of  a  Government  delivered  from  oni 
fathers.     He   concluded    by   repeating   the   Lord's   Prayer. 


100  LIFE    AND    MARTYRDOM 

DR.  GURLEY'S  SERMON. 
The  Rev.  Dr.  Gurley  Presbyterian,  and  the  President's  own 
pastor,  then  delivered  a  sermon,  standing  on  the  step  near 
the  head  of  the  cofl&n.  He  commenced  by  saying,  we  recog- 
nize and  adore  the  sovereignty  of  Almighty  God.  His  throne 
is  in  the  Heavens,  and  His  Kingdom  ruleth  over  all.  It 
■was  a  cruel  hand — the  dark  hand  of  the  assassin — thai 
smote  our  honored,  wise  and  noble  President,  and  filled  th» 
land  with  mourning.  But  above  this  hand  there  is  anothei 
which  we  must  see  and  acknowledge.  It  is  the  chastening 
hand  of  a  wise  and  faithful  God.  He  gives  us  the  bittei 
cup.  We  yield  to  the  behest  and  drink  the  draught.  Thii 
chastisement  comes  in  a  way  heavy  and  mysteriously  deep 
at  a  time  when  the  Rebellion  is  passing  away.  The  occa^ 
sion  has  stricken  down  a  man  upon  whom  the  people  had 
learned  to  trust  and  upon  whom,  more  than  any  other,  they 
had  centered  their  hopes  for  a  restoration  of  union  and  re- 
turn of  harmony.  In  the  midst  of  our  rejoicing  we  needed 
this  stroke,  this  discipline,  and  therefore  God  has  sent  it. 
Our  affliction  has  not  come  forth  from  the  dust  nor  from 
the  ground.  Beyond  the  act  of  assassination  let  us  look  to 
God,  whose  prerogative  is  to  bring  light  out  of  darkness  and 
good  out  of  evil.  He  who  has  led  us  so  well  and  prosper- 
ed us  so  wonderfully  during  the  last  four  years  of  anxi'ety 
and  conflict,  will  not  forsake  us  now.  He  may  chasten  but 
will  not  destroy.  He  may  purify  us  in  the  furnace,  but  will 
not  consume  us.  Let  our  principle  anxiety  now  be  that  this 
new  sorrow  may  be  a  sanctified  sorrow,  and  induce  us  to 
give  all  we  have  to  the  cause  of  truth,  justice,  law,  order, 
liberty    and   good  government,   and   pure  and  undefiled   religion. 


I 


OP     ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  Wl 

Thougk  weeping  may  endure  for  a  night,  joy  com»5th  in  the 
morning.  Thank  God  that  in  spite  of  this  temporary  dark 
ness  the  morning  has  began  to  dawn,  the  morning  of  a 
brighter  day  than  our  country  has  ever  before  seen.  That 
day  will  come,  and  the  death  of  a  hundred  Presidents  and. 
Cabinets  cannot  prevent  it.  The  people  confided  in  the  late 
lamented  President  with  a  firm,  and  loving  confidence  which 
no  other  man  has  enjoyed  since  the  days  of  Washington. 
He  deserved  it  well,  and  deserved  it  all.  He  merited  it  by 
his  character,  by  his  acts,  and  by  the  whole  tenor  and  tone 
and  spirit  of  his  life.  He  was  wise,  simple,  sincere,  plain 
and  honest,  truthful  and  just,  benevolent  and  kind.  His  per- 
ceptions were  quick  and  clear,  his  judgment  was  calm  aod 
accurate,  and  his  purposes  were  good  and  pure.  Beyond  a 
question,  always  and  everywhere,  he  aimed  and  endeavored 
to  be  right  and  to  do  right.  His  integrity  was  all  prevad- 
ing,  all  controlling,  and  incorruptible.  He  gave  his  persoaal 
consideration  to  all  matters,  whether  great  or  small.  How 
firmly  and  well  he  occupied  his  post  and  met  its  grave  de- 
mands in  seasons  of  trial  and  difficulty  is  known  to  you  all, 
to  the  country  and  the  world.  He  comprehended  all  the  en- 
ormity of  treason  and  rose  to  the  full  dignity  of  the  occa- 
sion. He  saw  his  duty  as  Chief  Magistrate  of  a  great  and 
imperiled  people,  and  leaned  on  the  arm  of  Him  who  giveth 
power  to  the  faint,  and  who  increaseth  strength.  The  Rev. 
Dr.  Gurley,  toward  the  close  of  his  address  said :  I  speak 
what  I  know,  and  testify  what  I  have  often  heard  him  say, 
when  I  affirm  thjit  guidance  and  mercy  were  the  prop  en 
which  he  humbly  and  habitually  leaned ;  that  they  were  tht 
best    hope     he    had     for    himself     and     his    country.       Hence 


102  LIFE     AND     MARTTKDOM 

when  he  was  leaving  his  home  in  Illinois,  and  comhig  to 
the  city  to  take  his  seat  in  the  Executive  chair  of  a  dis- 
turbed and  troubled  nation,  he  said  to  the  old  and  tried 
friends  who  gathered  tearfully  around  him,  and  bade  him 
farewell :  "I  leave  with  this  request,  pray  for  me."  They 
did  pray  for  him,  and  millions  of  others  prayed,  nor  did 
they  pray  in  vain.  Their  prayer  was  heard,  and  the  an- 
swer appears  in  all  his  subsequent  history.  It  shines  forti 
with  heavenly  radience  in  the  whole  course  and  tenor  of  his 
administration,  from  its  commencement  to  its  close.  Go(J 
raised  him  up  for  a  great  and  glorious  mission,  furnished 
him  for  his  work  and  aided  him  in  its  accomplishment. 
Nor  was  it  merely  by  strength  of  mind  and  honesty  of 
heart,  and  purity  and  pertinacity  of  purpose  that  he  furnish. 
ed  him.  In  addition  to  these  things  he  gave  him  a  calm 
and  abiding  confidence  in  the  over-ruling  Providence  of  God, 
and  in  the  ultimate  triumph  of  truth  and  righteousness. 
Through  the  power  and  blessing  of  God  this  confidence 
strengthened  him  in  all  his  hours  of  anxiety  and  toil,  and 
inspired  him  with  calm  and  cheering  hope,  when  others  were 
inclined  to  despondency  and  gloom.  Never  shall  I  forget  the 
emphasis  and  the  deep  emotion  with  which  he  said,  in  this 
very  room,  to  a  company  of  clergymen  and  others  who  call- 
ed to  pay  him  their  respects,  in  the  darkest  days  of  our 
civil    conflict : 

"Gentlemen,  my  hope  of  success  in  this  great  and  terrible  struggle, 
reats  on  that  immutable  foundation — the  justice  and  goodness  of  God; 
aad  when  events  are  very  threatening  and  ^  prospects  Tery  dark,  I  still 
hope  that  in  some  way,  which  man  cannot  see,  all  will  be  well  in  the 
end,   because  our  cause   is  just,   and   God   is   on  our  side." 

Such    was    his    sublime    and    holy    faith,    and    it   was   an 


I 


OF    ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  103 

anchor  to  his  soul,  both  sure  and  steadfast.  It  made  him 
firm  and  strong.  It  emboldened  him  in  the  pathway  of 
duty,  however  rugged  and  perilous  it  might  be.  It  made 
nim  valiant  for  the  right,  for  the  cause  of  God  and  hu- 
manity, and  it  held  him  in  steady,  patient  and  unswerving 
adherance  to  a  policy  of  administration  which  he  thought, 
and  which  we  all  now  think,  both  God  and  humanity  re- 
quii-ed  him  to  adopt.  We  admired  and  loved  him  on  many 
accounts,  for  strong  and  various  reasons.  We  admired  his 
childlike  simplicity,  his  freedom  from  guile  and  deceit, 
his  staunch  and  sterling  integrity,  his  kind  and  forgiving 
temper,  his  industry  and  patience,  his  persistent,  self-sacrific- 
ing devotion  to  all  the  duties  of  his  eminent  position,  from 
the  least  to  the  greatest,  his  readiness  to  hear  and  con- 
sider the  cause  of  the  poor  and  humble,  the  suffering  and 
oppressed,  his  charity  toward  those  who  questioned  the 
correctness  of  his  opinions  and  the  wisdom  of  his  policy  ; 
his  wonderful  skill  in  reconciling  diiferences  among  the 
friends  of  the  Union,  leading  them  away  from  abstractions 
anxi  inducing  them  to  work  together  and  harmoniously  for 
the  public  weal ;  his  true  and  enlarged  philanthroj^hy  that 
knew  no  distinction  of  color  or  race,  but  regarded  all  men 
as  bi'ethren  and  endowed  alike  by  their  Creator  with  cer- 
tain inalienable  rights,  among  which  are  life,  liberty  and 
the  pursuit  of  happiness,  his  inflexible  purpose  that  what 
freedom  had  gained  in  our  terrible  civil  strife  should  never 
be  lost,  and  that  the  end  of  the  war  should  be  the  end 
of  slavery,  and,  as  a  consequence,  of  Rebellion ;  his  readi- 
ness to  spend  and  to  be  spent  for  the  attainment  of  such 
a  triumph — a    triumph    the    fruits     of     which    should    be   as 


104  LIFEAXDMABTYBDOJI 

wide  Spreading  as  the  earth,  and  as  enduring  as  the  sun ; 
all  these  things  commanded  and  fixed  our  admiration  and 
the  admiration  of  the  world,  and  stamped  upon  his  charac- 
ter and  life  the  unmistakable  impress  of  greatness.  But 
more  sublime  than  any  or  all  of  these,  more  holy  and 
influential,  more  beautiful  and  strong  and  sustaining  was  his 
abiding  confidence  in  G-od  and  the  final  triumph  of  truth 
and  righteousness  through  him  and  for  his  sake.  This  was 
his  noblest  virtue,  his  grandest  principle,  the  secret  alike 
of  his  strength,  his  patience  and  his  success.  And  this, 
it  seems  to  me,  after  being  near  him  steadily  and  with 
him  ot\en  for  more  than  four  years,  is  the  principle  by 
which  more  than  by  any  other  •■  he  being  dead  yet  speak- 
eth."  Yes  by  his  steady,  enduring  confidence  in  God  and 
in  the  complete  ultimate  triumph  of  the  cause  of  God, 
which  is  the  cause  of  humanity,  more  than  in  any  other 
way.  does  he  now  speak  to  us.  and  to  the  nation  he  loved 
and  served  so  well.  By  this  he  speaks  to  his  successor 
in  oflice,  and  charges  him  to  have  taith  in  God ;  by  this 
he  speaks  to  the  members  of  his  Cabinet,  the  men  with 
whom  he  counselled  so  often  and  was  associated  with  so 
long,  and  he  charges  them  to  have  faith  in  God;  by  this 
he  speaks  to  all  who  occupy  positions  of  influence  and  au- 
thority in  these  sad  and  troublesome  times,  and  he  charges 
them  all  to  have  faith  in  God :  by  these  he  speaks  to  this 
great  people  as  they  sit  in  sack-cloth  to-day,  and  weep  for 
him  with  a  bitter  wailing  and  refuse  to  be  comforted,  and 
he  charges  them  to  have  faith  in  God.  And  by  this  he 
will  speak  through  the  ages,  and  to  all  rulers  and  people 
in  every  land,  and  his  message  to  them  will  be:  '-Cling  to 
liberty   and   right;    battle  for  them;  bleed   for  them;   die   for 


OF     ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  105 

them,  if  need « be,  and  hav^o  confidence  in  God."  Oh ! 
that  the  voice  of  this  testimony  may  sink  down  into  our 
hearts  to  day  and  every  day,  and  into  the  hearts  of  the 
nation,  and  exert  its  appropriate  influence  upon  our  feel- 
ings, our  faith,  our  patience,  and  our  devotion  to  the  cause 
now  dearer  to  us  than  ever  before,  bocau.se  consecrated  by 
the  blood  of  its  most  conspicuous  defender,  its  wisest  and 
most  fondly  trusted  friend.  He  is  dead,  but  the  God  in 
"whom  he  trusted  lives,  and  He  can  guide  and  strengthen 
his  successor,  as  He  guided  and  strengthened  him.  He  is 
dead,  but  the  memory  of  his  virtues,  of  his  wise  and 
patriotic  councils,  and  the  labors  of  his  calm  and  steady 
faith  in  God  live,  is  precious,  and  will  be  a  power  for 
good  in  the  country  down  to  the  end  of  time.  He  is 
dead,  but  the  cause  he  so  ardently  loved,  so  ably,  patient- 
ly, faithfully  represented  and  defended,  not  for  himselt 
only,  not  for  ua  only,  but  for  all  people  in  all  their  com- 
ing generations,  till  time  shall  be  no  more — that  cause 
survives  his  fall,  and  will  survive  it.  The  light  of  its 
brightening  prospects  flashes  cheeringly  to-day  at  heart. 
The  gloom  occasioned  by  his  death,  and  the  language  of 
God's  united  providences  in  telling  us  that  though  the 
friends  Of  liberty  die.  Liberty  itself  is  immortal.  There  is 
no  assassin  strong  enough,  and  no  weapon  deadly  enough 
to  quench  its  inextinguishable  life  or  arrest  its  onward 
march   to   the    conquest   and   empire   of  the  world. 

This  is  our  confidence,  and  this  is  our  consolation  as  we 
meet  and  mourn  to-day.  Though  our  beloved  President  is 
slain,  our  beloved  country  is  saved,  and  some  sing  of 
mercy  as  well  as  of  judgment.  Tears  of  gratitude  mingle 
with  those  of  sorrow,  while  there  is  also    the    dawning    of 


106  LIFE      AND      MARTYRDOM 

/ 

a  brighter,  happier  day  upon  our  stricken ,  and  weary  land 
God  be  praised  that  our  fallen  chief  lived  long  enough  to 
see  the  day  dawn,  and  the  day-star  of  joy  and  peace  arise 
upon  the  nation.  He  saw  it  and  he  was  glad.  Alas  !  alas  I 
He  only  saw  the  dawn.  When  the  sun  has  risen,  full-orbea 
and  glorious,  and  a  happy,  reunited  people  are  rejoicing 
in  its  light,  it  will  sbine  upon  his  grave,  but  that  grave 
will  be  a  precious  and  a  consecrated  spot.  The  friends  of 
Liberty  and  the  Union  will  repair  to  it  in  years  and  ages 
to  come,  to  pronounce  the  memory  of  its  occupant  blessed, 
and  gathering  from  his  very  ashes,  and  from  the  rehearsal 
of  his  deeds  and  virtues  fresh  incentives  to  patriotism,  they 
will  there  renew  their  vows  of  fidelity  to  their  country 
and   their  Grod. 

The  closing  prayer,  by  Dr.  Grey,  Baptist,  was  sonorous 
and  concise.     He   concluded   as    follows  : 

"God  of  the  bereaved,  comfort  and  sustain  this  mourning 
family.  Bless  the  new  Chief  Magistrate.  Let  the  mantle  of 
his  predecessor  fall  upon  him.  Bless  the  Secretary  of  State 
and  his  family.  0  God,  if  possible,  according  to  thy  will, 
spare  their  lives  that  they  may  render  still  important  ser- 
vices to  the  country.  Bless  all  members  of  the  Cabinet. 
Endow  them  with  wisdom  from  above.  Bless  the  command- 
ers in  our  army  and  navy,  and  all  the  brave  defenders  of 
the  country.  Give  them  continued  success.  Bless  the  em- 
bassadors from  foreign  courts,  and  give  us  peace  with  the 
nations  of  the  earth.  0  God,  let  treason,  that  has  deluged 
our  land  with  blood,  and  desolated  our  country,  and  be- 
reaved our  homes,  and  filled  them  with  widows  and  orphans, 
which   has    at   length    culminated    in    the    assassination    of  the 


OF     ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  107 

nation's  chosen  ruler — God  of  justice,  and  the  avenger  of 
the  nation's  wrong,  let  the  work  of  treason  cease,  and  let 
the  guilty  perpetrators  of  this  horrible  crime  be  arrested  and 
brought  to  justice.  O,  hear  the  cry  and  the  prayer,  and  the 
wail  rising  from  the  nation's  smitten  and  crushed  heart,  and 
deliver  us  from  the  power  of  our  enemy,  and  send  speedy 
peace  into  all  our  borders,  through  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord, 
Amen." 

The  corpse  was  then  removed  to  the  hearse  which  was  in 
front  of  the  Executive  Mansion,  and  at  two  o'clock  the  pro- 
cession was  formed.  It  took  the  line  of  Pennsylvania  avenue. 
The  streets  were  kept  clear  of  all  encumbrances ;  but  the 
eide-walks  were  densely  lined  with  people  from  the  White 
House  to  the  Capitol,  a  distance  of  a  mile  and  a  half.  The 
roofs,  porticos  and  windows,  and  all  elevated  points  were  oc- 
cupied by  interested  spectators.  As  the  procession  started, 
minute  guns  were  fired  near  St.  John's  Church,  the  City 
Hall  and  the  Capitol.  The  bells  of  all  the  Churches  in  the 
city    and    of  the   various  engine    houses    were    tolled. 

First  in  the  order  of  procession  was  a  detachment  of  col- 
ored troops ;  then  followed  white  regiments  of  infantry,  and 
bodies  of  artillery  and  cavalry,  navy,  marine  and  army  of- 
ficers on  foot;  the  pall-bearers  in  carriages  next;  the  hearse 
drawn  by  six  white  horses,  the  cofiin  prominent  to  every  be- 
holder. The  floor  on  which  it  rested  was  strewn  with  ever- 
greens, and  the  coffin  covered  with  white  flowers.  Then  fol- 
lowed the  President  and  Cabinet,  the  diplomatic  corps,  mem- 
bers of  Congress,  Governors  of  States,  the  d-elegations  from 
various  States,  fire  companies,  civic  associations,  the  clerks  of 
the   various   departments,   and    others,  all   in    order    of    proces- 


108  LIFE     AND     MARTYRDOM 

sion,  together  with  many  public  and  private  carriages,  all 
closing  up   with   a   large   number    of  colored   men. 

The  nearest  relatives  of  the  late  President's  family  there 
were  the  two  sons  of  the  deceased,  namely:  Captain  Robert 
and  Thaddeus  Lincoln,  N.  W.  Edwards  and  C.  M.  Smith,  of 
Springfield,  brothers-in-law  of  the  late  President,  and  Dr. 
Lyman  B.  Todd,  of  Lexington,  Ky.,  and  General  and  J.  B. 
Todd,    of  Dakota,    cousins    of  Jlrs.    Lincoln. 

Mrs.  Lincoln  was  not  present  at  the  funeral.  It  was  said 
she  had  not  even  seen  her  husband's  corpse  since  the  morn- 
ing of  his   death. 

After  the  President's  remains  was  placed  on  the  catafalque, 
in  the  rotunda  of  the  Capitol,  Major  General  Meigs,  Quar. 
termaster  General,  remained  until  they  were  taken  in  charge 
by  the  guard  of  honor  detailed  for  the  night  of  the  19th 
and  for  the  20th,  which  was  composed  of  the  following  ar- 
my   officers. 

Brigadier   General  John   P.  Slough, 

Brevet    Brigadier     General     William     Gamble,     commanding     1st   separat* 
Brigade,   22d  Army   Corps,    Fairfax   Court    House. 
Captain   R.    C.    Gale,    A..    A.   G. 
Surgeon   F.   "W.    Mead. 
Surgeon   Hard. 

Captain   Wiekersham,    R.    A.   G. 
Captain    H.   C.    Laurence,    A.   Q.    M. 
Captain    Brown,   A.   A.   G. 
Lieutenant   Gamble,   A.    D.   C. 
Lieutenant   Pearson,   A.    D.   C. 
Lieutenant   Moore,  A.  D.   C. 

NAVAL     OFFICERS. 

Lieutenant   Commander   Edward   E.   Stone,    Monitor    Moutauk. 
Lieutenant   Commander  A.    Ward   Weaver,    Monitor   Mahopac. 
Lieutenant    N.   H.   Farquhar. 
Lieutenant   A.    R,    McNair. 
Lieutenant  B.  F.    Day. 
Lieutenant   E".   M.   Shepard. 


OP    ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  109 

A  detachment  of  the  Twenty-fourth  regiment  Veteran  Re- 
Berves  did  guard  duty  at  the  entrance  of  the  rotunda  and 
at   the   gates   of  the* Capitol. 

As  soon  as  the  doors  were  thrown  open  on  the  morning 
of  the  20th,  the  throng  of  visitors  began  to  press  forward. 
All  were  required  to  enter  at  the  main  eastern  entrance,  and 
passing  in  two  lines  on  eithei'  side  of  the  catafalque,  to  go 
to  the  western  door  of  the  rotunda.  None  were  permitted 
to  linger.  A  strong  guard  was  placed  across  the  lower 
steps  of  the  eastern  entrance,  and  a  line  of  guards  in  close 
order  on  either  side,  marked  the  avenue  left  for  the  people 
who  desired  to  pass  in.  About  ten  o'clock  a  heavy  rain 
storm  partially  checked  the  crowd :  but,  notwithstanding  the 
rain,  the  long  and  ceaseless  procession  of  saddened  faces 
came  pressing  forward  at  the  rate  of  three  thousand  persona 
per   hour. 

The  catafalque  was  better  arranged  to  aflFord  a  view  of  the 
features  of  the  honored  dead  than  the  one  at  the  White 
House.  The  features  were  little  changed,  and  by  many  are 
said  to  look  more  natural  than  when  they  lay  in  state  at 
the   White   House. 

The  whole  force  of  the  Capitol  Police,  under  the  direction 
of  Captain  Newman,  clad  in  mourning  habiliments,  were  on 
duty  preserving  order,  and  politely,  but  in  suppressed  tones, 
and  almost  noiseless  steps,  directing  the  movements  of  the 
crowd. 

The  rotunda,  which  was  lighted  by  only  a  sort  of  twi- 
light hue,  was  filled  with  solemn  stillness,  unbroken  save  by 
the  rustling  of  the  dresses  of  the  female  mourners,  and  oc- 
asionally    a   deep   sigh   from   some   of   those   passing   the  coffin. 


110  LIFE     AND     MARTYRDOM 

THE    REMAINS    OF    THE    PRESIDENT    ENROUTE    FROM 

WASHINGTON. 

• 

At  6  o'clock  Friday  Morning,  April  21,  the  members  of 
the  Cabinet  and  many  distinguished  individuals  met  at  the 
Eotunda  to  pay  their  last  respects  to  the  late  Chief  Magis- 
trate. The  Rev.  Dr.  Gurley  offered  up  a  fervent  prayer, 
and  at  7:40  the  body  was  placed  in  a  hearse,  and  followed 
to  the  depot  by  Lieut.-Gen.  Grant  and  Staff,  and  Maj.  B. 
B.  French.  Then  came  the  Cabinet,  consisting  of  Secretar- 
ies Stanton,  Welles  and  Usher,  Postmaster-General  Dennison 
and  Attorney-General  Speed.  The  carriage  of  President 
Johnson  following  the  carriage  of  Lieut.-Gen.  Grant.  On 
arriving  at  the  depot,  the  coifin  was  placed  in  the  car  assigned. 
At  precisely  eight  o'clock  the  train  started,  all  standing  with 
uncovered  heads  until  the  train  passed  out  of  view.  The 
remains  of  little  Willie  Lincoln,  who  died  in  Washington  Feb- 
ruary,   1862,    accompany  those  of  his  father. 

B  ALTIMORE. 

The  funeral  cortege  arrived  at  the  Cowden  Station  of  the 
Baltimore  aud  Ohio  Railroad  Company,  about  10  o'clock. 
Amid  the  tolling  of  the  city  bells  and  firing  of  minute  guns 
from  the  forts,  a  procession  composed  of  the  military  and 
civic  societies,  under  command  of  Brigadier  General  Lock- 
wood  was  soon  formed,  Provost  Marshal  Col.  Woolley  actmg  as 
Grand  Marshal,  and  line  of  march  taken  to  the  Exchange,  where 
the  remains  were  laid  in  state  in  the  Rotunda.  The  catafalque 
was  richly  draped,  and  ornamented  with  silver  stars  and 
frino-e.  The  floor  of  the  dais  was  bordered  with  evergieens 
and   choice    flowers.       Upward    of    10,000    persons   viewed    the 


OF    ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  Ill 

body,  but  double  that  number  were  denied  the  coveted  priv- 
ilege, as  when  the  hour  of  2  o'clock,  P.  M.  arrived,  the 
coffin  was  closed  and  the  remains  escorted  by  the  military 
to  the  depot  of  the  Northern  Central  Railroad.  At  a  few 
minutes  past  3  o'clock  the  funeral  train  was  wending  its  way 
to    Harrisburg,    Pa. 

Upon  reaching  the  State  line  at  5^  o'clock,  it  was  found 
that  Gov.  Curtin  had  arrived  from  Harrisburg  in  a  special 
train,  accompanied  by  his  Staff.  The  greetings  of  the  Gov- 
ernors of  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland,  was  exceedingly  cordial. 
At  various  places  along  the  road  the  national  banner  was 
displayed,  either  festooned  with  crape  or  bearing  a  black 
border.  The  same  solemnity  of  countenance  was  everywhere  seen, 
and  all  seemed  to  be  profoundly  mournful  spectators  of  the  burial 
cortege.  At  York  the  ladies  asked  permission  to  lay  on 
the  coffin  a  wreath  of  flowers.  The  hand  of  affection  could 
not  have  contributed  a  more  choice  and  delicate  tribute  to 
departed   worth. 

HARRISBURG. 

The  funeral  train  reached  Harrisburg  at  8^  o'clock,  Fi'iday 
Evening.  It  was  heavily  raining ;  but  notwithstanding  this 
the  streets  were  densely  thronged,  and  a  large  military  escort 
accompanied  the  remains  of  the  President,  to  the  State  House, 
amid  the  sound  of  minute  guns,  where  the  corpse  was  exposed 
to    the   view    of  the   public   until    a    late    hour. 

The  train  left  for  Philadelphia  at  11  o'clock  Saturday 
Morning.  Thousands  of  persons  were  sad  witnesses  of  its 
departure.  The  patriotic  daughters  laid  a  wreath  of  flowers 
on    the    President's    coffin.     The  cars  in  quick    succession  passed 


• 


112  LIFE    AND    MARTYRDOM 

country  houses,  workshops  and  settlements,  every  resident 
appearing  to  witness  the  passing  train.  Battle  flags  were 
displayed  everywhere,  banners  were  at  half  mast,  badges 
of  black  were  universal,  and  all  elevated  points,  balconies 
windows,  housetops,  &c.,  were  occupied  by  persons  of  both 
sexes  and  all  conditions,  each  countenance  bespeaking  a  sad 
heart. 

PHILADELPHIA. 

The  train  arrived  at  the  Broad  Street  Station  at  precisely 
half-past  four  o'clock,  on  Saturday  afternoon,  or  two  hours 
earlier  than  the  schedule  of  time  originally  announced,  in 
order  to  afford  more  daylight  for  the  display.  The  military 
both  white  and  black  made  a  fine  display.  The  city  troop 
acted  as  body  guard.  In  the  procession  were  the  Mayor, 
the  City  Councils,  and  other  municipal  authorities,  Federal 
officers,  army  and  navy  officers  stationed  in  the  city  and 
neighborhood,  the  Judiciary,  members  of  the  Legislature, 
members  of  Congress,  representatives  of  Foreign  Courts,  and 
numerous  others  of  distinction.  The  firemen  and  every  society, 
institute  and  organization  were  well  represented,  especially  the 
the  Knights  Templars,  the  Odd  Fellows,  and  the  Fenians. 
Many  colored  men  also  appeared  as  members  of  charitable 
and  other  societies,  with  appropriate  badges  and  regalia.  The 
chimes  of  St.  Peter's  and  Christ  Churches  (Episcopal)  were 
responded  to  by  St.  Mary's  (Roman  Catholic)  Church.  The 
procession  occupied  an  hour  and  a  half  in  passing  the  streets 
designated  in  the  programme,  when  the  Old  State  House 
having  been  reached,  the  corpse  was  taken  into  Independence 
Hall,   where  it  was  placed  near  the  bell  which   first  proclaimed 


OF    ABRAHAM    LIN  00  LK.  118 

the  adoption  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  The  Hali 
was  clothed  in  such  a  manner  as  became  the  occasion,  ren- 
dering the  entire  scene  solemnly  imposing.  The  houses  were 
draped  with  mourning.  Ingenuity  was  exhausted  in  showing 
to  the  best  advantage  this  exterior  manifestation  of  grief. 
The  body  of  the  President  was  visited  by  thousands  during 
the    night  on  invitation  tickets  from  the  Select  Councils. 

Before  day  light  lines  were  formed  east  and  west  of  Inde- 
pendence Hall,  passing  in  by  two  stairways  through  the  front 
windows,  and  out  by  the  rear  into  the  Sc^uare.  By  10  o'- 
clock these  lines  extended  at  least  three  miles,  from  the 
Delaware  to  the  Schuylkill  River,  thousands  occupying  three 
or  four  hours  before  accomplishing  their  object  of  seeing  the 
remains.  Great  numbers  of  women  took  position  in  the  line, 
and  notwithstanding  the  fatigue  of  slow  progress,  effected  their 
object.  Many,  only  giving  up  when  they  fainted,  were  car- 
ried off  by  their  friends.  The  scenes  at  the  hall  were  im- 
pressively solemn,  and  not  a  few  persons  were  affected  to 
tears.  An  old  colored  woman,  65  or  70  years  of  age,  thrilled 
the  spectators  with  her  open  expressions  of  grief.  Gazing  for 
a  few  moments  on  the  face  of  the  dead,  she  exclaimed,  clasp- 
ing her  hands,  while  tears  coursed  down  her  withered  checks: 
"Oh,  Abraham  Lipcoln !  Oh,  he  is  dead !  he  is  dead !  "  The 
sympathy  and  love  expressed  by  this  poor  woman  found  a 
response  in  every  heart,  and  seemed  to  increase,  if  possible, 
the  general  grief.  It  was  not  until  long  after  midnight  that 
the  coffin-lid  was  replaced,  and  the  face  thus  forever  hid 
from  the  afflicted  citizens.  The  Pbiladelphians  did  everything 
possible  to  show  their  respect  for  the  distinguished  deceased. 
The   countenances    of    the    people    best    express   the   sadness   of 


114  LIFE    AND     MARTYRDOM 

their  hearts.  The  good  taste  of  the  citizens  of  Philadelphia 
was  displayed  ia  the  mourning  habiliments  of  their  dwellings 
and  places  of  business.  The  ladies  appeared  with  mourning 
badges  on  their  left  shoulders,  and  this  custom  was  so  gen- 
eral   that   its    non-observance    was    noticed. ' 

The   funeral    train    left    at   -1    o'clock    Monday    morning    for 
New  York. 

JERSEY    CITY. 

At     10     o'clock     on     Monday     the     vast    crowds,    which    had 
gathered    in   front   of  the    depot   gates,    were    observed   to  surge 
from    side   to    side,    and    immediately  afterward    the   train  moved 
slowly    into    the    depot.     It    consisted     of    nine    handsome    cars. 
The    car    containing    the    coffin    was    large    and    roomy,    black 
paneled,   the   upper  portion    festooned  with  black   merino,  looped 
with     silver     cords,     with     silver     tassels     drooping     below,     the 
whole    surmounted     with    solemn    rows    of    sable    plumes.     All 
heads     were     uncovered     as     the     train     moved    in,   and  a   most 
impressive    silence    prevailed    throughout     the     vast    multitude. 
While  the  train  moved  in,   and  for  several  moments  afterw^ard, 
while    the   remains   were   being   borne   from   the   boat    the   Ger- 
man  singers,   of  whom   we    have    already   spoken,    raised    their 
grand    and    solemn    requiem    for    the    dead,    until    the    vaulted 
roof  of  the  great  structure  resounded  to    the  impressive  strains. 
In    the    interval,  the  crowds    in   the  galleries   remained  perfectly 
hushed,    and    that   grand  song   alone   rose    and   fell,   and  swelled 
and   wavered    among   them,     like    the    lament   of    a     mourning 
world. 

The  coffin  inclosing  the  remains  was  slowly  and  carefully 
removed  from  the  car  and  x>laced  upon  the  stalwart  shoulders 
of  the   guard   which   had   accompanied    it  from    Washington — a 


OF     ABRAHAM     LXCOLN.  115 

detachment  of  the    Veteran    Reserve    Corps.     The   preliminary 
procession   was  then   formed,    and   proceeded   to    the    boat. 

As  the  imposing  procession  moved  through  the  densely 
crowded  depot  to  the  still  more  crowded  street,  and  thence 
into  the  depot  again,  there  was  a  most  remarkable  silence 
everywhere.  The  roofs  of  the  buildings  and  the  tops  of  cars 
in  the  company's  yards  were  crowded  to  suffocation ;  the  crowds 
in  the  streets  were  immense,  and  the  same  deeply  respectful 
silence,  the  same  breathless  suspense  prevailed  throughout. 
Not  the  least  touching  feature  in  this  display  was  that  ex- 
hibited by  the  negroes,  of  whom  there  were  a  large  number 
in  the  crowd.  Upon  their  dusky  faces  could  be  seen  the 
traces  of  grief,  which  sprang  from  instinct  rather  than  from 
reason,  a  profound  reverence  which  was  worthy  of  the  study 
of  scholars  learned  in  study  of  character,  and  of  cause  and 
and    eifect. 

The  hearse  was  a  very  handsome  one, — a  frame-work  of 
glass,  black  paneled,  inlaid  with  silver  beads,  with  four  nod- 
ding plumes  of  sable  on  either  side.  It  was  drawn  by  six 
handsome  gray  horses.  The  caparisons  and  everything  con- 
nected with  the  hearse  were  simple,  but  appropriate  and 
beautiful.  After  depositing  their  precious  burden  therein,  the 
Guard  of  Honor  marched  as  special  guard  to  the  remains, 
seven  on  each  side — while  the  remainder  of  the  cortege  fol- 
lowed  in    due    order. 

The  ferry  boat  New  York,  which  was  waiting  to  receive 
the  procession,  was  appropriately  decorated  with  flags  and  sym- 
bols of  mourning.  The  bridge  leading  to  the  ferry  was  also 
handsomely  decorated  with  flags  and  steamers,  and  the  inevi* 
table   dead   black. 


116  LIFE      AND      MARTYEDLM 

After  a  short  delay,  the  whole  party  were  embarked,  and 
the  i^owerful  steamer  moved  across  the  river  with  hardly  any 
perceptible  vibration,  as  if  it  were  a  thing  of  life  and  con- 
scious of  the  precious  nature  of  its  charge.  The  requiem 
singers  continued  their  solemn  chorus.  From  far  down  the 
Bay  came  the  echoes  of  the  distant  cannon,  and  nearer  still 
they  rang  and  reverberatad  over  the  boat.  Gruns  boomed, 
the  requiem  rose  and  fell,  vesseLn  in  the  harbor  dipped  their 
flags  in  token  of  respect,  and  the  hum  of  the  peopled  piers 
awaiting  to  receive  their  dead  chieftain  could  be  heard  long 
before    the    vessel    touched    the   landing. 

NEW  YORK. 

The  scenes  at  the  foot  of  Desbrosses  street  was  one  never 
to  be  forgotten.  Every  foot  of  ground,  every  attainable  perch, 
every  house-roof  was  black,  with  human  forms.  Men  and  boys 
were  perched  on  trees  and  telegraph  poles ;  house-tops  were 
so  covered  with  spectators  that  it  was  a  wonder  that  they 
did  not  fall  in,  and  every  window  appeared  to  contain  a 
dozen  heads  of  eager  spectators.  But  a  strong  force  of  po- 
lice was  on  hand,  and  the  best  of  order  prevailed.  Up  the 
long  open  space,  which  stretched  from  the  gates  of  the  ferry- 
bridge, could  be  seen  a  clear,  broad  lane,  awaiting  the  fu- 
neral cortege.  The  left  hand  hedge  was  the  splendid  front 
of  our  own  7th  Regiment,  as  regularly  formed  as  a  line  of 
palisades,  the  long  line  of  policemen;  on  the  right,  present- 
ing a  no  less  creditable  appearance.  The  arrangements  had 
been  perfected  with  singular  judgment,  and  the  excellent  order 
which  was  everywhere  preserved,  notwithstanding  the  enor- 
mous   crowd,   reflected  great  credit  upon    the  police  authorities. 


OF     ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  117 

Endeed,  we  did  not  witness,  in  the  entire  march,  a  single 
disturbance  of  a  serious  character.  The  equanimity  of  the 
crowd,  as  a  general  thing,  appeared  to  be  equal  to  their  re- 
spect  for   the   departed  President. 

But  little  time  was  lost  in  preparations  for  the  march  to 
the  City  Hall.  The  hearse  was  first  drawn  out,  the  Seventh 
Regiment  forming  round  it  in  hollow  square.  Four  battalions 
of  policemen,  in  excellent  order  followed,  and  the  remainder 
of  the  procession  came  after  in  the  same  order  we  have  al- 
ready mentioned.  A  portion  of  the  Washington  delegation, 
however — that  comprising  the  General  officers — making  the  re- 
mainder of  the  march  in  coaches.  Four  policemen  followed, 
and  the  remainder  of  the  procession  followed  in  the  order 
we   give    above. 

The  appearance  of  the  sidewalks  and  houses,  as  the  pro- 
cession moved  up  Desbrosses  street,  to  the  dull  beat  of  the 
dead   march   from    the   band   in    the   van,  was   most   impressive. 

Every  window  was  full  of  heads,  every  house  was  covered 
with  mourning,  and  the  people  on  the  sidewalks  formed  a 
solid,   scarcely  breathing  wall. 

Turning  slowly  up  Desbrosses  street,  to  Canal  street,  and 
thence  eastward,  the  solemn  procession  swung  down  Broadway, 
to  the  same  funeral  step,  the  dense  crowds  gathering  denser 
as   they   moved,   while   the   most   impressive  silence    prevailed. 

On  the  procession  moved  amid  serried  masses  of  people 
ranged  along  the  sidewalks,  until  it  reached  the  City  Park, 
and  here  words  fail  to  convey  an  adequate  idea  of  the  im- 
pressive scene.  Balconies,  windows,  housetops  and  door-steps, 
were  crowded  with  fashionably  dressed  ladies  and  gentlemen. 
Every   available     post    was    occupied.     Enthusiastic   boys   fixed 


118  LIFE     AND     MARTYRDOM 

themselves  on  railings,  lamp-posts,  «&c.,  while  in  the  Park 
many  were  perched  on  boughs  and  branches  of  the  trees  to 
the  manifest  peril  of  life  and  limb.  The  most  perfect  silence 
was  observed,  save  at  times,  when  a  murmur  of  whispered 
grief,  like  the  sound  of  distant  waters,  was  borne  on  the  air. 
Heads  were  uncovered,  and  tearful  eyes  turned  heavenward 
as  the  remains  of  the  martyred  patriot — a  nation's  idol — were 
borne  past.  The  Astor  House  was  one  mass  of  life,  while 
the  dark  decorations  of  mourning  waved  sadly  and  sullenly 
from  basement  to  roof.  As  the  procession  wheeled  around 
the  lower  end  of  the  Park  the  utmost  efforts  of  a  large  and 
efficient  force  of  police  could  not  keep  the  crowd  back.  For 
a  few  moments  the  procession  was  broken,  and  outsiders  had 
an  opportunity  of  pushing  onward  to  the  City  Hall  to  get  a 
glimpse  of  the  departed.  Many  were  the  congratulations  on 
this   point. 

Anxious  eyes  looked  out  from  the  windows  in  the  vicini- 
ty, while  the  crowd  surged  to  and  fro  beneath.  Rarely  have 
scenes  like  this  been  witnessed.  Death  is  at  all  times  im- 
pressive, but  under  circumstances  like  these  the  feeling  is  too 
intensified  for  language  to  express  it.  The  windows  of  French's 
Hotel  were,  like  all  others,  full  of  anxious,  eager,  pallid 
faces.  Moistened  eyes  rested  on  the  funeral  car  which  bore 
the  last  precious  remains  of  a  people's  choice,  and  as  the 
last  honors  were  paid  to  the  great  departed  a  mournful  si- 
lence pervaded  the  vast  multitude.  Never  did  the  word  of 
command,  "present  arms,"  fall  on  the  ear  with  such  a  choking 
sensation.  In  the  looks  of  those  men  thus  arrayed  there  was 
something  too  deep  for  language,  too  overwhelming  for  out- 
ward  expression. 


OF    ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  119 

The  City  Hall  is  reached.  The  coffin  is  removed  from  th« 
hearse.  Slowly  and  solemnly,  with  heads  bent  low,  and  look 
of  profound  emotion,  while  the  bright  sunshine  glimmered  on 
brilliant  uniform  and  glitte,ring  sword,  and  waving  flags  almost 
darkened,  the  air,  the  coffin  is  borne  onward  by  fourteen 
orderlies  past  the  military  lines  of  the  7th  Regiment  N.  Y. 
S.  N.  Gr.;  past  the  veterans  of  the  war  of  1812 ;  past  the 
lines  of  the  Metropolitan  Police  drawn  up  in  hollow  square — 
on,  still  on — up  the  steps  of  the  City  Hall,  where  one  thous- 
and German  singers  were  stationed,  whose  mournful  'wail 
floated  high  above  all  other  sounds,  and  "was  re-echoed  within 
the  dim  and  solemn  chamber  of  the  Hall,  and  borne  onward 
beyond  the  military  lines  on  the  passing  breeze  to  the  dis- 
tant,   heaving    crowd. 

The  remains  were  hardly  deposited  within  the  Hall  when 
a  column  of  eager  applicants  for  admission  was  formed,  which 
extended  away  through  Chatham  street,  to  nearly  the  Bowery. 
All  races  and  all  colors  were  represented  in  it,  and  we  cer- 
taiuly  never  supposed  that  there  was  so  much  human  patience 
in    the    world. 

The  scene  in  front  of  the  City  Hall  was  very  animated. 
The  long  files  of  policemen  were  placed  in  a  line  running 
from  the  east  to  the  west  gate  of  the  Park,  and  also  on 
Printing-House    square   and    Park-row. 

In  the  Governor's  room  the  decorations  were  beautiful. 
The  portraits  of  the  Governors  and  ex-Mayors  of  New  York 
and  the  various  other  celebrities  were  all  draped  in  the  usual 
form  of  mourning.  At  11  o'clock  about  2,000  members  of 
the  Saengeround,  Liederkranz  and  ^rion  Musical  Societies 
marched   in  front   of  the    City  Hall  and  took   their   position  on 


120  LIFE    AXD    MABTYKDOM 

the   esplanade,    on    either    side    of    the     main     entrance     to    tha 
building.  ^ 

THE    PROCESSION. 

Even  during  all  the  night  before,  preliminaries  for  the 
great  funeral  procession  had  been  going  forward  at  many 
points  in  the  city.  Before  dawn  the  stir  increased.  Almost 
as  soon  as  it  was  light,  the  vast  amount  of  our  great  met- 
ropolitan population  began  to  move  perceptibly  toward  the 
Badly  magnificent  ceremony  of  the  day.  At  first  many  sol- 
diers, uniformed  and  armed,  or  single  civilians,  in  decent 
black,  were  gathering  to  a  thousand  rendezvous  of  regiment, 
society,  club  or  association,  as  to  centres  of  crystallization 
sprinkled  over  the  extensive  city  map.  And  while  uniform 
and  civic  costume  varied  in  their  respective  many  ways,  two 
universal  marks,  distinguishable,  indeed,  in  almost  every  citi- 
zen, whether  to  be  participant  or  spectator  of  the  sombre 
pageant — the  crape  badge  on  the  arm,  and  the  countenance 
serious  and  often  sad — silently  witnessed  that  the  vast  city 
arose  in  oneness  of  heart  to  ofi"er  a  last  testimony  of  grief 
and  love  at  the  death  of  the  liberator,  the  patriot,  the  hon- 
est man   and   the  wise    ruler. 

The  procession  formed  in  eight  divisions.  The  first  division 
standing  in  line  for  a  mile  and  three-quarters  on  Broadway 
from  the  Park  to  Fourteenth  street,  could  thus  be  conven- 
iently followed  by  each  of  the  others  in  its  order,  all  cross- 
ing  the   Park    and  wheeling   to   the    right  into   Broadway. 

THE   SPECTATORS. 

As  the  time  of  starting  approached,  a  tremendous  crowd 
of    spectators  lined   the   whole   of    the   appointed    route,    stand- 


OF    ABRAHAM    L  I  N  C  0  L  X.  121 

ing  often  in  a  dense  human  hedge  twelve  or  fifteen  feet 
deep  along  the  curb-stones.  Another  almost  equally  numerous 
body  occupied  the  steps,  gratings  and  inner  border  of  the 
walk ;  while  all  windows  were  filled  with  men,  women  and 
children — occupancy  being  often  sold  for  money,  and  adver- 
tised by  handbills  posted  up  outside.  Thousands  and  thous- 
ands of  these  lookers  on  were  too  young  to  know  their 
right  hands  from  their  left,  and  were  doubtless  brought  in 
order  that,  in  old  age,  they  might  say  they  saw  the  funeral 
procession  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  Eaves,  roofs,  trees,  posts, 
were  edged  or  tipt  or  fructified  with  men  or  women.  Along 
the  middle  of  each  sidewalk  crept  in  either  direction  a  ulug- 
gish,    narrow   stream    of    passengers. 

At  1  o'clock,  and  with  prompt  good  faith  the  great  pro- 
cession moved  forward.  The  right  of  the  first  or  military 
division  resting  on  Fourteenth  street,  it  was  of  course  at  that 
point  that   actual    movement   began. 

THE    MILITARY    DIVISION. 

According  to  a  funeral  etiquette,  the  order  of  the  march 
as  well  as  the  position  of  the  soldier's  weapon,  is  reversed, 
and  the  last  instead  of  the  first  brigade  of  a  division,  regi- 
ment of  a  brigade,  &c.,  goes  first.  The  Second  Division  of 
New  York  State  troops  precedes  the  First,  the  Eleventh  Brig- 
ade precedes  the  Fifth,  the  Fifty-second  Regiment  is  before 
the   Forty-seventh,   that   before   the    Tvventy-third,    and   so    on. 

Down  the  whole  long  line  of  the  great  thoroughfare,  clear 
to  the  Park,  the  regiments  were  standing  at  ease,  facing 
eastward.  One  after  another,  in  quick  succession,  they  turned 
into  column  of  sections,  and  a  bird's  eye  view  would  show 
the   whole   distance   from   Union   Park   to    the     City    Hall,   one 


122  LIFE    AND    MARTYRDOM 

long  track  of  stony  gray,  bordered  with  tt-e  heavy  black 
masses  along  each  sidewalk,  and  from  end  to  end,  trans- 
versly  striated  with  the  sections,  deliberately  gliding  north- 
ward in  common  time,  the  swords  and  bayonets  sparkling  and 
glinting  in    the    perfect   sunlight. 

THE    FUNERAL   CAR. 

Tlfe  Seventh  Regiment  acted  as  guard  of  honor ;  and 
within  its  hollow  square,  rolling  slowly  nearer  and  nearer, 
came  the  funeral  car,  a  gloomy  and  imposing  structure,  its 
heavy  plumes  nodding  to  and  fro.  Before  the  guard  of  honor 
marched  a  strong  platoon  of  policemen,  sweeping  once  more 
every  inch  of  the  street  from  curb  to  curb.  There  was,  how- 
ever, scarcely  the  least  infringement  of  the  orders  in  this 
matter.  Here  and  there  some  weary  old  lady  or  careless 
boy  sat  down  with  feet  in  the  gutter;  but  the  crowd,  though 
dense  and  massed  to  a  degree  even  far  beyond  that  of  the 
remarkable  occasion  just  after  Inauguration  Day,  kept  heed- 
fully   to   the   sidewalk. 

THE   GUARD   OF    HONOR, 

the  Seventh  Regiment,  Col.  Enimon-s  Clark,  came  next,  with 
reversed  arms ;  its  mathematically  accurate  marching  and 
thoroughly  soldierlike  array  justified  its  employment  in  this 
melancholy    but   honorable    duty. 

The  car  itself  rolled  slowly  and  gloomily  before  us.  Its 
sixteen  gray  horses  were  shrouded  in  black,  and  led  each  by 
a  colored  groom.  Immediately  about  it  marched  the  faithful 
squad  of  soldiers  of  the  Veteran  Reserves  who  accompanied 
the  remains  from  "Washington.  The  car  itself  consisted  of  a 
broad   platform   fourteen   feet   by   eight,    on   which   was   a   stage 


OF     ABRAHAM     LINCOLX.  123 

or  dais  wliere  the  coffin  lay.  Over  this  was  a  rich  canopy 
upon  four  columns,  having  planted  at  the  foot  of  each  col- 
umn three  national  flags  festooned  and  craped.  Above  the 
four  corners  of  the  canopy  were  four  great  shadowing  and 
waving  masses  of  sable  plumes,  and  at  the  top  was  a  small 
model  of  a  circular  temple,  unwalled,  open,  empty.  Thus — -so 
would  teach  this  little  emblem — was  the  nation,  the  home  of 
freedom,  bereft  of  its  representative  man.  Or,  perhaps,  thus 
empty  of  its  former  tenant,  was  the  body  of  the  dead  the 
temple  of  life.  Within,  the  car  was  lined  with  white  satin, 
and  above  the  coffin  hangs  a  large  eagle,  his  wings  outspread 
as  if  he  hovered  there,  and  carrying  in  his  talons  a  wreath 
of  laurel.  All  around  the  black  draperies  hung  almost  to 
the  earth.  Up  on  the  surface  of  the  dais  and  platform, 
beautiful  white  flowers  were  disposed  in  graceful,  plenteous 
wreaths  and  boquets,  and  the  deep  blackness  of  the  draperies 
is  moreover  somewhat  relieved  by  festoons  and  spangles  of 
silver  bullion. 

THE   CIVILIAN  PROCESSION. 

The  military  portion  of  the  processions  is  thus  concluded, 
with  a  few  small  exceptions.  With  similar  exceptions,  the 
remainder  of  it,  in  place  of  the  rich  efi"ects  of  the  uniforms, 
the  order  of  march,  and  the  glitter  and  gleam  of  weapons, 
presented  a  monotonous,  although  impressive,  column  of  civ- 
ilians, in  black  clothes  and  hats.  In  several  respects  this 
portion  of  the  procession  was  to  the  thoughtful  observer 
more  significant  than  the  military  part ;  but  it  was  by  virtue 
of  implications  and  associated  ideas,  not  by  considerations  ol 
color   and    arrangement. 


124  LIFE    AND    MARTYRDOM 

NATIONAUTIES. 

The  numerical  strength  and  watchful  nationality  of  the 
Irish  in  New  York  was  once  more  shown  by  the  fact  that 
one  whole  division,  the  Fifth,  consisted  entirely  of  Irish 
associations — and  a  large  division  it  was.  Among  them 
marched,  as  in  the  Inauguration  procession,  a  number  of 
companies  of  boys,  in  green  blouses,  and  hand  in  hand. 
The   little   fellows   looked  well  and   marched   finely. 

The  athletic  German  turners,  in  their  jjlain  linen  coats, 
looked   strong,   ready   and   sensible. 

A  long  array  of  mechanics'  protective  and  provident  as- 
sociations constituted  the  latter  part  of  the  civilians'  pro- 
cession, a  very  few  among  them  here  and  there  showing 
disgracefully   enough,   the   influence   of    liquor. 

The  Brooklyn  delegation  constituted  the  Eighth  Division, 
and  after  it,  bringing  up  the  rear,  with  a  strong  double 
rank  of  policemen  before  and  behind,  came  a  body  of 
about  two  hundi'ed  colored  men.  Part  of  them  were  freed- 
men  recently  from  slavery,  and  these  boi-e  a  banner  with 
two  inscriptions:  "Abraham  Lincoln  our  Emancipator,"  and 
"To  Millions  of  Freemen  he  Liberty  gave."  This  was  the 
pnly  portion  of  the  procession  which  was  received  with  any 
demonstrations  of  applause.  For  them  a  just  and  kindly 
enthusiasm  overrode  the  strict  proprieties  of  the  occasion, 
and  handkerchiefs-  M^aved  and  voices  cheered  all  along  as 
they  marched. 

The  head  of  the  procession  had  reached  the  railroad  sta- 
tion at  2:10.  The  rear  of  it  had  not  reached  Fourteenth 
street  at  5.  It  must  have  contained  full  sixty  thousand 
men.    After  the   delivery   of   the   remains    to    the   charge   of 


BOSTON   CORBETT. 


OF     ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  125 

the  railroad  authorities,  it  was  hours  before  the  rear  of 
the  pi'oeession  ceased  marching.  The  allotted  route  having 
been  passed  over,  the  various  component  parts  quickly  dis- 
persed  to   their  respective   rendezvous. 

The  deep  sobriety  of  this  ceremony  gave  it  a  profound 
and  weighty  character,  far  more  impressive  than  the  festal 
pomp  of  most  pageants.  And  the  wailing  notes  of  the 
dirges  played  by  the  bands  greatly  increased  this  effect. 
The  streets  were  in  remarkably  good  condition.  The  air 
and  sky  were  perfect;  the  arrangements  for  the  occasion 
very  good  indeed ;  and  in  grandeur  of  form,  as  well  as  in 
ethical  and  political  meaning,  the  great  funeral  pageant 
given  by  the  City  of  New  York  to  the  remains  of  Presi- 
dent Lincoln   was   entirely   successful. 

THE    CEREMONIES   IN   UNION   SQUARE. 

Shortly  after  the  procession  had  passed  through  Union 
Square,  Tuesday  afternoon,  a  meeting  was  held  for  the 
purpose  of  rendering  fitting  testimonials  of  respect  and 
reverence  for  the  character  of  the  late  President,  and  join- 
ing in   appropriate  religious  exercises. 

Facing  the  Maison  Doree,  a  large  stand  had  been  erect- 
ed, with  the  national  colors  draped  in  black,  and  a  bro- 
ken column,  the  design  of  Mr .  Thomas,  round  the  base  of 
which  a  roll  of  black  crape  was  placed.  In  the  square 
opposite  the  Spingler  house  and  to  the  right  of  the  stand, 
was  a  pedestal  bearing  a  bust  of  President  Lincoln,  which 
is  said  to  be  a  striking  likeness.  It  was  draped  in  mourn- 
ing, and  attracted  much  attention.  In  front  of  the  stand 
about  two  thousand  persons,  among  whom  were  a  number 
cf  ladies,  had  collected,  and  the  windows  and  doorways  of 
9 


126  LIFE    AND    MARTYRDOM 

the  houses  ■within  sight  and  hearing  distance  of  the  stand 
were   crowded.  ■ 

On  the  stand  were  a  large  representation  of  the  clergy, 
and  deputations  from  the  Union,  New  York,  Century, 
Athenseum,  City,  Union  League,  Eclectic  and  other  clubs. 
A  number  of  ladies  and  children  were  also  admitted  to 
the   stand,   which   was   most   inconveniently   crowded. 

Hon.  John  A.  King  presided.  The  exercises  were  opened 
with  pi-ayer  by  Rev.  Stephen  H.  Tyng,  during  which  the 
assemblage  remained  uncovered.  After  repeating  that  beau- 
tiful  portion    of    the   burial   service,   commencing 

"  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life  saith  the  Lord ;  he 
that  believeth  in  me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he 
live ;  and  whosoever  liveth  and  believeth  in  me  shall  never 
die,"  the  reverend  gentleman  said  :  "  0  Grod,  in  whose  hands 
is  our  life.  Thou  hast  pleased  in  thine  infinite  wisdom  to 
take  away  the  light  of  our  eyes,  the  desire  of  the  people, 
we  bow  to  thy  decree  with  submission,  and  we  revere 
Thee  as  the  high  and  lofty  One.  Thou  hast  chastened  as 
a  father  chastened  his  children.  We  confess  Thee  as  the 
Savior,  we  acknowledge  the  fulness  of  Thy  power,  we  feel 
a  thankfulness  for  that  Thou  hast  given  and  now  has 
taken  away.  We  bless  Thee  that  Thou  hast  made  him  the 
instrument  of  saving  the  nation,  and  proclaiming  liberty  to 
those  in  bondage.  We  feel  a  deep  sense  of  our  loss,  but 
we  bow  in  humble  thankfulness  for  all  our  blessings.  We 
implore  Thee  to  bless  the  wounded  and  suflTering,  the  widow 
and  the  fatherless ;  we  implore  Thee  to  bless  and  protect 
the  new  President,  and  to  hasten  the  time  when  the  na- 
tion  shall    desire   war   no   more." 


OP     ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  127 

After  the  prayer,  the  band  played  the  "  Dead  March." 

Hon.  George  Bancroft  then  delivered  a  feeling  oration. 
The  delivery  of  the  oration  was  frequently  interrupted  by 
applause. 

Eev.  Dr.  Joseph  P.  Thompson  was  then  introduced,  and 
read  President  Lincoln's  last  inaugural  address  in  a  very 
impressive   manner 

This  was  followed  by  the  reading,  by  Eev.  W.  H.  Boole, 
of  the  94th  Psalm,  which  was  pronounced  by  the  inspired 
Psalmist  against  the   enemies  of   his   country. 

Eev.  Dr.  Rogers  then  pronounced  an  eloquent  prayer,  in 
which  he  thanked  God  that  our  late  President  had  been 
removed  from  among  us  without  even  a  shadow  on  his 
name,  and  that  a  Joshua  had  been  raised  up  to  replace 
him. 

After  appropriate  music  by  the  band,  Rev.  Eabbi  Isaacs, 
of  the  Broadway  Synagogue,  read  a  selection  from  the 
Scriptures   and   delivered   a   short  prayer. 

Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Osgood  then  read  the  following  hymn, 
composed  only  a  few  hours  previously,  by  Mr.  W.  C 
Bryant : 

0,   slow   to  smile  and  swift  to  spare, 

Gentle  and  merciful  and  just, 
"Who  in  the  fear  of   God  did'st  bear 

The  Bword  of   power,  the    nation's   trast. 

In   sorrow   by   thy   bier  we  stand, 

Amid  the   woe  that  hushes   all, 
And   speak   the   anguish   of   a  land 

That  shook  with  horror  at  thy  fall. 

Thy  task  is  done,  the  bonds   are  free— 

"We  bear   thee  to  an   honored  grave. 
Whose   noblest  monument  shall   be 

The  broken  fetters   of  the  slave. 


128  LIFE    AND     MARTYRDOM 

Pure   was   thy  life — its   bloody   close 
Hath   placed   thee   with   the    sons   of    light, 

Among   the   noblest   host    of    those 

Who   perished   in   the   cause   of    right. 

Dr.  Osgood  also  read  the  following  composit:  en  of  Ml 
Bryant,   whicli   he   said  had   not  yet  been  published ; 

HYMN. 

"Thou   hast  put  all   things  under  His   feet." 

0    North,   with   all   thy   vales   of    green, 

0   South   with    all   thy   palms, 
From   peopled   towns,   and   fields   between, 

Uplift   the   voice   of    psalms ; 
Eaise,    ancient   East,   the   anthem   high, 
And  let  the  youthful  West  reply. 

Lo  I    in  the   clouds  of   heaven   appears 

God's   well   beloved   Son ; 
He   brirgs    a   train   of    brighter   years — 

His   Kingdom   is   begun: 
He   comes   a  guilty   world    to   bless 
With   mercy,   truth,   and   righteousness. 

0   Father,  haste  the  promised  hour 

When   at  his    feot   shall   lie 
All  rule,   authority  and    power  i^ 

Beneath   the    ample    sky. 
When   He   shall   reign    from   pole   to   pole. 
The   Lord  of   every  ^uman   soul. 

Archbishop  McClosky  being  unavoidably  absent,  the  ben-  i 
ediction  was  pronounced  by  Dr.  Hitchcock,  and  the  assem-  I 
blage  then   dispersed, 

FKOM  NEW  YORK  TO  ALBANY.  ' 

The  coffin  was  then  removed  to  the  train,  the  assemblage 
not  leaving  until  it  started.  On  the  route  to  Albany  all 
was    in    moui^ning,   each   place   vieing   with   the  other   in  rich 


OF     ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  If  9 

decorations  and  mourning  emblems;  the  people  wore  sad 
faces,  indicative  of  their  sad  hearts.  The  train  duly  arrived 
at  Albany,  where  the  remains  were  exposed  to  view  and 
viewed  by  thousands  of  people  and  thousands  were  disap- 
pointed. 

The  funeral  train  left  Albany  at  4  P.  M.,  "Wednesday, 
26th.  It  was  said  that  delegations  from  ten  counties  visited 
Albany  to  view  the  remains.  Tho  lying  in  state  and  the 
procession  there  had  been  marked  by  all  the  characteris- 
tics which  had  signalized  the  same  in  other  cities.  Special 
trains  had  brought  thousands  from  towns  not  on  the  route 
to  swell  the  population  of  the  city.  The  houses  were  dec- 
orated with  fitting  emblems  and  fitting  mottoes.  The  pro- 
cession was  beautifully  ordered  and  very  impressive.  Gov. 
Fenton  and  staff  were  on  foot  immediately  after  the  escort 
which  left  "Washington,  the  latter  in  open  carriages.  At 
Schenectady,  as  always  before,  there  was  a  still  multitude 
with  uncovered  heads.  At  Canajoharie,  the  Palatine  Bridge 
was  clad  in  flags  and  mourning,  and  there  was  firing  of 
guns,  tolling  of  bells,  music  of  bands,  an  assembled  mul- 
titude. A  refreshment  car  accom^^anied  the  train,  and  sup- 
per was  had  at  St.  Johnsville.  The  first  young  ladies  of 
the  town,  dressed  alike  in  black  skirts  and  white  bodices, 
with  heavy  black  rosettes  upon  the  left  shoulder,  waited 
upon  the  table  and  were  afterward  admitted  to  the  hearse 
car  and  a  view  of  the  coffin.  The  ladies  of  Little  Falls 
placed  fresh  flowers  upon  the  coffin.  At  Herkimer  blazing 
torches  showed  the  train  in  a  bi'ight  light  to  an  immense 
company,  who  spok'e  not  a  word,  but  let  him  pass  on  in 
his    glory.     Multiplied    thousands,    made    wierd    by    torches, 


130  LIFE     AND     MARTYRDOM 

f 

met  the  train  at  TJtica,  with  bells  tolling  and  guns  firing 
It  was  estimated  that  25,000  persons  were  present.  Passing 
Oriskany,  where  the  people  had  kindled  a  large  bonfire, 
the  train  reached  Syracuse  at  11:15  P.  M.  The  depot  and 
other  buildings  were  draped  in  mourning,  and  the  scene 
was  illuminated  with  locomotive  lamps.  A  band  of  music 
played  a  dirge  as  the  train  entered  the  depot,  and  a  choir 
of  100  voices  sang  appropriate  hymns  during  the  stoppage 
of  the  train.  The  crowd  of  citizens  was  immense,  and 
large  delegations  came  in  from  Oswego,  and  the  surround- 
ing towns.  The  train  was  received  by  the  assembled  mul- 
titude with  uncovered  heads,  and  with  every  manifestation 
of  heartfelt  sorrow.  The  way  stations  were  illuminated 
with  torches  and  bonfires.  At  midnight  the  train  reached 
Memphis. 

Thursday,  April  27,  the  remains  passed  through,  Jordon, 
Weedsport,  Port  Byron,  Savannah,  Clyde,  Lyons,  Newark, 
Palmyra,  and  other  places  where  the  crowds  were  very  large, 
aad  the  train  moved  past  the  stations  in  the  light  of  count- 
less bonfires  and  torches,  arriving  at  Eochester  at  3:20  A.  M. 
The  cortage  stopped  10  minutes  at  Rochester.  The  people 
\fere  abroad  in  full  force.  The  streets  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
stopping  places  were  crowded.  Houses  were  draped  with  the 
usual    emblems    and    draped    flags. 

BUFFALO 
was  reached  at  7  A.  m.  The  procession  was  formed  between  7  and 
8  o'clock,  and  proceeded  toward  St.  James  Hall,  under  a  civil 
and  military  escort,  in  company  with  the  party  which  had 
followed  the  remains  from  Washington.  The  coffin  was 
pvo'.nineutly   in   view    of  the    very    many    persons     who    lined 


OP    ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  Ifel 

tlie  streets  through  which  the  cortage  passed.  The  heanBe 
was  heavily  covered  with  black  cloth,  surmounted  with  an 
arched  roof  and  tastefully  trimmed  with  white  satin  and  sil- 
ver lace.  The  body  was  deposited,  beneath  a  crape  canopy 
in  St.  James  Hall,  a  dirge  being  chanted  in  the  mean  time. 
An  elegant  harp  of  choice  white  flowers  was  then  placed  at 
the  head  of  the  coffin,  and  the  public  were  admitted.  Tke 
throng  was  immense  until  8  P.  M.,  when  the  coffin  was  closed. 
The  arrangements  generally  were  pronounced  to  be  better 
than  elsewhere    on   the   route.     At   10    P.  M.,    the   train    left  ftar 

CLEVELAND. 

At  21:10  A.  M ,  Friday,  the  28th,  the  train  arrived  at  Dua- 
kirk.  The  chief  feature  at  that  place  was  a  group  of  36 
young  ladies  representing  'the  States  of  the  Union.  They 
were  dressed  in  white,  each  with  a  broad  black  scarf  rest- 
ing on  the  shoulder,  and  holding  in  the  hand  a  National 
flag.  The  crowd  here  was  dense.  The  tolling  of  bells,  tke 
solemn  music  of  an  instrumental  band,  and  the  firing  6f 
minute  guns,  contributed  to  the  interest  of  the  scene.  Pass- 
ing through  Braceton,  which  was  illuminated,  the  trsau 
reached  Westfield  at  1  A.  M.,  where  a  committee  of  ladias 
brought  in  a  cross  and  wreath  of  flowers :  On  the  croes 
were  the  words:  "Ours  the  cross;  thine  the  crown."  Soen 
after  the  train  reached  the  state  boundary,  "and  General  Dss 
and  staff  took  leave  of  the  funeral  party.  At  Wiskliff'e  Gov- 
ernor Brough  and  staff,  of  Ohio,  came  on  board ;  also  Majdr 
Gen.  Hooker  and  staff.  The  train  arrived  at  Cleveland  at 
7  A.  M.  On  the  lake  side  of  the  city  thousands  of  jjer- 
eons  were  gathered  on  the  slooping  green  hillside,  all  hav- 
ing a  good    view    of   the    train.        High  up    was  seen '  an 


I32  LIFE    AND    MARTYRDOM 

arch  with  the  inscription,  "Abraham  Lincoln."  It  was 
draped  in  mourning,  and  the  supports  were  covered  with 
alternate  strips  of  black  and  white.  The  body  was  borne 
to  the  park,  where  a  building  had  been  erected  especially 
for  the  reception  of  the  remains.  The  building  was  24  by 
36  feet  in  dimensions,  and  14  feet  high  from  the  ground 
to  the  plate.  The  roof  was  of  pagoda  style,  and  the  raft- 
ers were  covered  with  white  cloth  over  the  centre  of  the 
main  roof,  and  directly  over  the  catafalque  a  second  roof 
was  raised  about  four  feet  and  covered  in  like  manner. 
The  catafalque  consisted  of  a  raised  dias,  and  was  orna- 
mented with  evergreens  in  the  most  beautiful  manner. 
Silver-fringed  drapery  was  looped  to  the  columns  support- 
ing the  canopy,  the  borders  of  t^e  cornice  being  illumin- 
ated with  white  roses  and  stars  of  silver.  The  religious 
services,  after  the  remains  had  been  put  on  the  dias,  were 
performed  by  the  Right  Rev.  Bishop  Mcllvaine.  He  read 
a  part  of  the  funeral  service  of  the  Episcopal  Church, 
slightly  altering  the  text  to  suit  the  occasion,  and  moved 
many  of  the  listeners  to  tears.  The  remains  were  then 
exposed  to  public  view.  The  arrangements  were  so  per- 
fect that  every  one  who  desired  to  see  them  had  no  dif- 
ficulty ;  the  number  visiting  them  during  the  day  averaging 
180  per  minute.  At  midnight  on  Friday,  Apa'il  29th,  the 
cortege  left  Cleveland,  in  a  heavy  rain,  for  Columbus. 
Notwithstanding  the  storm,  groups  of  people  were  assem- 
bled at  all  the  stations,  many  of  them  bearing  lanterns  in 
their  hands,  in  order  that  the  funeral  train  might  be  plainly 
seen.  The  largest  gathering  was  at  Condingham,  at  which 
place    the    buildings    were    handsomely   draped,    guns   fired, 


OFABRAHAMLINCOLX.  133 

and   bells   rung.     At   6   A.  m.   the   train    passed    Eden.      The 
rain   had   ceased   and   the  weather   was   clear. 

COLUMBUS. 
At  7^  A.  M.,  Saturday,  the  20th,  the  cortege  arrived  at 
Columbus,  The  Committee  of  Arrangements  began  at  once 
to  carry  out  the  programme  and  place  the  funeral  party 
in  carriages.  The  procession  was  formed,  the  38th  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry  acting  as  a  military  escort :  then  fol- 
lowed the  officiating  clergy,  pall-bearers  and  others,  on 
each  side  of  the  hearse.  The  Yeterau  Reserve  Corj^s  were 
the  guard  of  honor.  The  rotunda  of  the  Capitol  was 
draped  in  mourning.  The  coffin  was  approached  by  five 
steps.  It  rested  on  a  mound  of  moss,  in  which  were  dot- 
te*d  the  choicest  flowers.  At  the  head  of  the  coffin 
rested  a  large  floral  wreath,  while  directly  behind  the  lat- 
ter were  flowers  in  glass  and  china  vessels,  contributed  by 
ladies.  At  the  corners  of  the  platform,  on  the  floor,  were 
large  vaces  filled  with  flowers.  The  walls  were  adorned 
with  a  naval  picture  rej)resenting  a  scene  in  the  life  of 
Commodore  Perry,  and  with  various  banners  which  had 
been  carried  by  Ohio  troops  during  the  war,  torn  and  rid- 
dled by  bullets  in  many  a  deadly  conflict.  No  confusion 
whatever  was  occasioned  in  entering  and  retiring  from  the 
Capitol,  owing  to  the  admirable  arrangements ,  and  for  about 
seven  hours  there  was  a  constant  line  of  spectators  passing 
before  the  remains.  At  8  p.  m.  the  remains  were  again  con- 
reyed  to  the  train,  and  the  funeral  escort  left  for  Indianap- 
olis. Scioto,  Hillard's,  Pleasant  Yalley,  Union ville,  Milford, 
Woodstock  and  Vagdenbui-gh  were  passed,  and  along  the 
road  the  people  appeared  to  the  number  of  thousands,  carry- 


•134  LIFE      AND      MARTY  ED  0  M 

ing  torches  and  kindling  bonfires,  to  enable  tbem  clearly  to 
see  the  funeral  car.  At  Woodstock  there  was  both  instru- 
mental and  vocal  music,  and  the  tolling  of  bells  and  other 
manifestations  of  mourning.  At  Urbana  the  people  were 
congregated  by  thousands.  The  scene  was  lit  up  with  a 
hundred  torches  and  bonfires,  and  the  countenances  of  the 
interested  multitude  were  seen  in  the  lurid  glare.  Guns 
were  fired  and  bells  tolled,  and  there  was  music  from  an 
instrumental  band,  but  the  melody  which  charmed  the  most 
was  fi-om  a  choir  of  both  males  and  females  stationed  upon 
the  platform,  who  sang  a  deeply  impressive  hymn.  At 
Piqua  10,000  persons  were  assembled. 

Between  12  and  1  a.  m.,  Sunday  30th,  the  State  line  was 
passed,  and  the  train  entered  Indiana,  The  weather  w^s 
cold,  and  the  rain  was  ^gain  falling,  but  there  was  no  di- 
minuation  in  the  crowd  assembled  at  various  points.  At 
Richmond  the  train  passed  under  an  arched  bridge  con- 
structed for  the  purpose  by  the  Air  Line  Railroad.  It  had 
a  span  of  25  feet,  and  was  30  feet  in  height.  The  abut- 
ments were  trimmed  with  evei'greens  dotted  with  white 
roses,  and  the  mourning  drapery  in  close  association.  At 
this  point  Gov.  Morton  of  Indiana  came  on  board.  At 
Cambridge  thousands  of  people  were  at  the  depot  and  the 
train  passed  under  an  arch  trimmed  with  evergreens,  sur- 
mounted by  a  female  figure  to  represent  the  Genius  of 
America  weeping.  The  State  of  Indiana  was  plunged  in 
the  depth  of  grief  This  was  shown,  not  by  the  magnificent 
demonstrations  in  the  cities  and  towns,  but  along  the  line 
the  fai-m  houses  were  decorated  with  mourning  and  their  in- 
mates gathered  in  clusters,  and  by  the   light  of  bonfires  and 


OF     ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  135 

torches  caught  glimpses  of  the  train   -which  was  bearing  from 
their  sight  the  lamented  Chief  Magistrate. 

INDIANAPOLIS. 
The  cortege  arrived  at  Indianapolis  at  7  a.  m.  A  proces- 
sion was  formed,  and  through  a  throng  of  thousands  of  spec- 
tators the  body  of  the  dead  President  was  borne  to  the 
State  House.  The  entire  structure  was  beautifully  shrouded 
in  black  and  white  relieved  by  evergreen  garlands,  with  a 
fine  display  of  flags.  The  platform  was  in  the  centre  of 
the  rotunda.  On  this  the  coffin  was  placed,  surrounded  by 
flowers,  while  wreaths  and  floral  crosses  were  laid  upon  the 
lid.  The  remains  were  soon  after  their  arrival  exposed  to 
public  view.  The  city  Councils  of  Louisville  and  Cincinnati 
and  a  delegation  from  Covington,  together  with  Governor 
Bramlette  of  Kentucky,  were  in  the  city  to  take  part  in 
the  funeral  procession.  Thousands  of  persons  from  the  sur- 
rounding country  thronged  the  city.  The  Sabbath-School 
children  were  the  first  admitted,  then  the  ladies  and  citi- 
zens severally  passed  through  the  hall  from  South  to  North. 
At  midnight  of  Sunday,  the  remains  left  Indianapolis  for 
Chicago.  The  usual  emblems  of  mourning  were  seen  on  the 
route.  At  IVIichigan  City  the  train  passed  beneath  a  number 
of  beautiful  arches  erected  in  memoiy  of  the  honored  dead. 
Soon  afterward  the  boundry  line  was  passed,  and  the  cor- 
tege entered  Illinois. 

CHICAGO. 
Chicago    was    reached   at  11     o'clock,    a.  m..    May  Ist,    th<» 
train  having  run  1,500  miles  since  leaving  Washington.     On 
the  previous   night   the  Hon.   Scuyler  Colfax  delivered  an  el- 


136  LIFE    AND    MARTYRDOM 

oquent  funeral  oration  at  Bryan  Hall  to  an  immense  audi* 
ence.  Minute  guns  and  tolling  and  chiming  bells,  an- 
nounced the  arrival  of  the  Pi-esident's  remains.  The  re- 
mains of  the  President  were  conveyed  to  the  Court  House, 
which  was  opened  to  the  public  at  6  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, and  remained  open  till  7  o'clock  p.  m.  of  the  next 
day,  thousands  of  persons  crowding  thither  to  see  for  the 
last  time   the  face  of  the  lamented  dead. 

CHICAGO   TO   SPEINGFIELD. 

The  route  to  Springfield  was  one  grand  series  of  bonfires 
burning  at  every  station,  lighting  up  the  darkness,  and  show- 
ing to  advantage  the  train,  as  well  as  the  decorated  stands 
where  stood  the  men  and  women.  Many  places  had  instru- 
mental and  vocal  music,  chanting  dirges  and  performing  re- 
quiems. The  train  reached  Springfield  about  daylight,  where 
an  immense  throng  was  gathered  to  witness  the  reception, 
etc, 

SPRINGFIELD. 

After  placing  the  coffin  in  the  hearse,  the  procession  form- 
ed and  proceeded  to  the  Capitol,  which  had  been  highly 
adorned  in  every  part  for  the  occasion.  The  catafalque  was 
built  in  the  Hall  of  Representatives,  which  was  festooned 
with  rich  mourning  drapery,  and  had  plants  and  flowers  dis* 
tributed  in  tasteful  display.  The  canopy,  beautiful  in  it- 
self, was  handsomely  decorated  in  a  style  of  magnificence 
unsurpassed  by  anything  connected  with  the  pageant  from 
Washington  through  all  of  the  cities.  The  ground  and  build- 
ings were  given  in  charge  of  Co.  E,  23d  Regiment  Veteran 
Reserve  Corps.  About  10  o'clock  A.  M.,  May  2nd,  the  ar- 
rangements   were    completed    and    the    people    were    admitted. 


OP    ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  l3Y 

For  twenty  four  hours  the  throng  passed,  even  through  the 
night.  May  3d,  at  11  o'clock,  the  procession  formed  and 
moved  off  toward  Oak  Eidge  Cenietry.  On  the  route  the 
band  played  "Dead  March  in  Saul,"  with  solemn  and  mourn- 
ful effect.  The  gate  of  the  cemetry  was  ornamented  with 
evergreens  and  flowers.  The  coffin  being  deposited  in  the 
cemetery,  the  exercises  were  opened  by  Rev.  A.  Hall,  in  an 
appropriate  prayer,  and  a  dirge  followed.  The  Rev.  N.  W. 
Miner  then  read  choice  selections  from  the  books  of  St.  John 
and  St.  Paul;  after  which  Rev.  N.  C.  Hubbard  read  the 
last  inaugural  of  Mr.  Lincoln.  Bishop  Simpson  then  arose 
to  deliver  his  address,  to  which  all  listened  attentively  and 
gravely.     He   commenced   as  follows: 

BISHOP  SIMPSON'S  ADDRESS. 

Felloio -citizens  of  Illinois  and  of  many  parts  of  our  entire 
Union,  near  the  Capital  of  this  large  and  growing  State  of 
Illinois : 

In  the  midst  of  this  beautiful  grove,  and  at  the  open 
mouth  of  this  vault,  which  has  just  received  the  remains 
of  our  fallen  chieftain,  we  gather  to  pay  a  tribute  of  re- 
spect and  to  drop  the  tears  of  sorrow  around  the  ashes  of 
the  mighty  dead.  A  little  more  than  four  years  ago, 
from  his  plain,  quiet  home  in  yonder  city,  he  started,  receiving 
the  parting  words  of  the  concourse  of  friends  who  gather- 
ed around  him,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  dropping  of  the 
gentle  shower,  he  told  of  the  pangs  of  parting  from  the 
place  where  his  children  had  been  born,  and  his  home  had 
been  made  pleasant  by  early  recollections ;  and  as  he  left, 
he   made   an    earnest  request,   in    the    bearing  of   some  who 


138  LIFE      AND      MARTYRDOM 

arc  present  at  this  raeeting,  that,  as  he  was  about  to  en- 
ter upon  the  responsibilities  which  he  believed  to  be  greater 
than  any  which  had  fallen  upon  any  man  since  the  days 
of  "Washington,  the  people  would  offer  up  prayers  that  God 
would  aid  and  sustain  him  in  the  work  which  they  had 
given  him  to  do.  His  company  left  our  quiet  city,  but  aa 
it  went,  snares  were  in  waiting  for  the  Chief  Magistrate. 
Scarcely  did  he  escape  the  dangers  of  the  way,  or  the 
hands  of  the  assassin  as  he  neared  "Washington,  and  I  be- 
lieve he  escaped  only  through  the  vigilance  of  officers  and 
the  prayers  of  his  people,  so  that  the  blow  was  suspended 
for  more  than  four  years,  which  was  at  last  permitted, 
through  the  providence  of  God,  to  fall.  How  different  the 
occasion  which  witnessed  his  departure  from  that  which 
witnessed  his  return !  You  expected  to  take  him  by  the 
hand,  to  feel  the  warm  grasp  which  you  had  felt  in  other 
days,  and  to  see  the  tall  form  walking  among  you  which 
you  had  delighted  to  honor  in  years  past.  But  he  was 
never  permitted  to  return  until  he  came  with  lips  mute 
and  silent,  the  frame  encoffined,  and  a  weeping  nation  fol- 
lowed  as  his   mourners. 

Such  a  scene  as  his  return  to  you,  was  never  witnessed 
among  the  events  of  history.  There  have  been  great  pro- 
cessions of  mourners.  There  was  one  for  the  Patriarch 
Jacob,  which  came  up  from  Egypt,  and  the  Egyptians 
wondered  at  the  evidences  of  reverence  and  filial  affection 
which  came  from  the  hearts  of  the  Israelites.  There  was 
mourning  when  Moses  fell  upon  the  heights  of  Pisgah,  and 
vanished  from  human  view.  There  have  been  mournings 
in  the   kingdoms  of    the    earth,  when    Kings    and    Princes 


OF     ABRAHAM    LINOOLK.  139 

have  fallen;  but  never  was  there  in  the  history  of  man 
such  mourning  as  that  which  has  accompanied  this  funeral 
procession,  and  has  gathered  around  the  mortal  remains  of 
him  who  was  our  loved  one,  and  who  now  sleeps 
among  us. 

If  we  glance  at  the  procession  which  followed  him,  we 
see  how  the  nation  stood  aghast !  Tears  filled  the  eyes  of 
manly,  sun-burnt  faces;  strong  men,  as  they  clasped  the 
hands  of  their  friends,  were  unable  to  find  vent  for  their 
grief  in  words.  Women  and  children  caught  uj)  the  tid- 
ings as  they  ran  through  the  land,  and  were  melted  into' 
tears.  The  nation/  stood  still,  and  men  left  their  plows  in 
the  field  and  asked  what  the  end  should  be.  The  hum  of 
manufactories  ceased,  and  the  sound  of  the  hammer  was 
not  heard.  Busy  merchants  closed  their  doors,  and  in 
the  Exchange  gold  passed  no  more  from  hand  to  hand. 
Though  three  weeks  have  passed,  the  nation  has  scarcely 
breathed  easily  yet.  A  mournful  silence  is  abroad  upon 
the  land.  Nor  is  this  mourning  confined  to  any  class,  or 
to  any  district  of  country.  Men  of  all  political  parties, 
and  of  all  religious  creeds,  have  united  in  paying  this 
mournful  tribute.  The  Archbishop  of  the  Eoman  Catholic 
Church,  in  New  York,  and  a  Protestant  Minister,  walked 
side  by  side  in  the  sad  procession,  and  a  Jewish  Eabbi 
performed   a  part  of   the   solemn   services. 

There  are  gathered  around  this  tomb  the  representatives 
of  the  army  and  navy.  Senators,  Judges,  Governors,  and 
officers  of  all  the  branches  of  the  Government.  Here,  too, 
are  all  members  of  civic  professions,  with  men  and  women 
from   the  humblest  as  well  the    highest    occupations.     Here 


140  'LIFE    AND    MARTYRDOM 

and  tliere,  too,  are  tears  as  sincere  and  warm  as  any  that 
drop,  which  come  from  the  eyes  of  those  whose  kindred 
and  whose  race  have  been  freed  from  their  chains  by  him 
whom  they  mourn  as  their  deliverer.  Far  more  have  gazed 
on  the  face  of  the  dejiarted  than  ever  looked  upon  the 
face  of  any  other  departed  man.  More  races  have  looked 
on  the  procession  for  1,600  miles  or  more,  by  night  and 
by  day,  by  sunlight,  dawn,  twilight,  and  by  torchlight, 
than  ever  before  watched  the  progress  of  a  procession. 
We  ask,  why  this  wonderful  mourning,  this  great  pro- 
^- cession?  I  answer,  first,  a  part  of  the  interest  has 
arisen  from  the  times  in  which  we  live,  and  in  which  he, 
that  has  fallen,  was  a  principal  actor.  It  is  a  principle  of 
our  nature  that  feeling  once  excited,  readily  leave  the  ob- 
ject by  which  they  are  excited  tor  some  other  object,  which 
may,  for  the  time  being,  take  possession  of  the  mind. 
Another  principle  is,  that  the  deepest  affections  of  our 
hearts  gather  around  some  human  form,  in  which  are  em- 
bodied the  living  thoughts  and  ideas  of  the  passing  ages. 
If  we  look,  then,  at  the  times  we  see  an  age  of  excite- 
ment. For  four  years  the  popular  heart  has  been  stii'red 
to  its  utmost  depths.  War  had  come  upon  us,  devouring 
families,  separating  nearest  and  deai-est  friends,  a  war,  the 
extent  and  magnitude  of  which  no  one  could  estimate;  a 
war  in  which  the  blood  of  brethren  was  shed  by  a  broth- 
er's hand.  A  call  for  soldiers  was  made  by  this  voice  now 
hushed,  and  all  over  this  land,  from  hill  and  mountain, 
from  plain  and  valley,  there  sprung  up  hundreds  of  thous- 
ands of  bold  hearts,  ready  to  go  forth  and  sav»  our  na- 
tional   Union. 

The   feeling    of   excitement    was    transferred    nexl    into    a 


OF     ABRAHAM     MNOOLK,  141 

feeling  of  deep  grief,  because  of  the  danger  in  which  our 
country  was  placed.  Many  said,  "Is  it  possible  to  save  our 
nation?"  Some  in  our  country,  and  nearly  all  the  leading 
men  in  other  countries,  declared  it  to  be  impossible  to 
maintain  the  Union,  and  many  an  honest  and  patriotic 
heart  was  deeply  pained  with  apprehensions  of  common 
ruin;  and  many  in  grief,  and  almost  in  despair,  anxiously 
inquired,  "What  shall  the  end  of  these  things  be?  In  ad- 
dition to  this,  wives  had  given  their  husbands,  mothers 
their  sons,  the  pride  and  joy  of  their  hearts.  They  saw 
them  put  on  the  uniform — they  saw  them  take  the  martial 
step,  and  they  tried  to  hide  their  deep  feeling  of  sadness. 
Many  dear  ones  stepped  upon  the  battle-field  never  to  re- 
turn again,  and  there  was  mourning  in  every  mansion  and 
in   every   cabin    in    our  broad  land. 

Then  came  a  feeling  of  deeper  sadness,  as  the  story 
came  of  prisoners  tortured  to  death  or  starved,  through 
the  mandates  of  those  who  are  called  the  rej)re8entatives 
of  chivalry,  or  who  claim  to  be  honorable  ones  of  the 
earth;  and  as  we  read  the  stories  of  frames  attenuated 
and  reduced  to  mere  skeletons,  our  grief  turned  partly  in- 
to horror  and  partly  into  a  cry  for  vengeance.  Then  this 
feeling  was  changed  to  one  of  joy.  There  came  signs  of 
the  end  of  this  rebellion.  "We  followed  the  cue  of  our 
glorious  Genex'als.  We  saw  our  army  under  the  command 
of  the  brave  officer  who  is  guiding  this  procession,  climb 
up  the  bights  of  Lookout  Mountain  and  drive  the  rebels 
from  their  strongholds.  Another  brave  General  swept 
through  Georgia,  South  and  Noi-th  Carolina,  and  drove  the 
combined  armies  of  the  rebels  before  him,  while  the  hon- 
10 


142  LIFE     AND     MARTYEDOM 

ored  Lieutenant-General   held   Lee   and    his    followers    in     a 
death-grasp. 

Then  the  tidings  came  that  Richmond  was  evacuated  and 
that  Lee  had  surrendered.  The  bells  rang  meri-ily  all  over 
the  land.  The  booming  of  cannon  was  heard,  illuminations 
and  torchlight  processions  manifested  the  general  joy,  and 
families  were  looking  for  the  speedy  return  of  their  loved 
ones  from  the  field  of  battle.  Just  in  the  wildest  joy,  in 
one  hour,  nay,  in  one  moment  the  tidings  thrilled  through- 
out the  land  that  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  best  of  Presidents, 
had  perished  by  the  hands  of  an  assassin,  and  then  all 
that  feeling  which  had  been  gathering  for  four  years  in  the 
form  of  excitement,  grief,  horror,  and  joy,  turned  into  one 
wail  of  woe ;  a  sadness  inexpressible,  an  anguish  unutter- 
able ;  but  it  was  not  the  times,  merely,  which  caused  the 
mourning.  The  mode  of  his  death  must  be  taken  into  the 
account.  Had  he  died  on  a  bed  of  sickness,  with  kind 
friends  around  him ;  had  the  sweat  of  death  been  wiped 
from  his  brow  by  gentle  hands  while  he  was  yet  conscious ; 
could  he  have  had  power  to  speak  words  of  affection  to 
his  stricken  widow;  words  of  comfort  to  us,  like  those 
which  we  heard  in  parting,  and  at  Washington,  in  his  in- 
augural, which  shall  now  be  immortal;  but  it  would  have 
softened  or  assuaged  something  of  the  grief — there  might 
at  least  have  been  preparation  for  the  event.  But  no 
moment  of  warning  was  given  to  him  or  to  us.  He  was 
stricken  down,  too,  when  his  hopes  for  the  end  of  the  re- 
bellion were  bright,  and  the  prospect  of  a  joyous  life  was 
before   him. 

There   was  a   Cabinet   meeting   that  day,    said    to    have    been 


OF    ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  143 

the  most  cheerful  and  happy  of  any  held  since  the  beginning 
of  the  rebellion.  After  this  meeting  he  talked  with  his 
friends,  and  spoke  of  the  four  years  of  tempest ;  of  the 
storm  being  over ;  and  of  the  four  years  of  pleasure  and 
joy  now  awaiting  him,  as  the  weight  of  care  or  anguish 
would  be  taken  from  his  mind,  and  he  could  have  happy 
days  with  his  family  again.  In  the  midst  of  his  anticipa- 
tions, he  left  his  house  never  to  return  alive.  The  evening 
was  Grood  Friday — the  saddest  day  in  the  whole  calendar  for  the 
Christian  church,  henceforth,  in  this  country  to  be  made  sad- 
der, if  possible,  by  the  memory  of  the  nation's  loss ;  and  so 
filled  with  grief  was  every  Christian  heart,  that  even  all  the 
joyous  thought  of  Easter  Sunday  failed  to  move  the  crush- 
ing sorrow,  under  which  the  true  worshipper  bowed  in  the 
house    of    God. 

But  the  great  cause  of  this  mourning  is  to  be  found  in 
the  man  himself.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  no  oi'dinary  man,  and  I 
believe  the  conviction  has  been  growing  on  the  nation's  mind, 
as  it  certainly  has  been  on  my  own,  especially  in  the  last 
years  of  his  administration,  that,  by  the  hand  of  God,  he  was 
especially  singled  out  to  guide  our  Government  in  these  troub- 
lous times,  and,  it  seems  to  me,  that  the  hand  of  God  may 
be   traced   in  many    of  the    events    connected   with   his   history. 

First,  then,  I  recognize  this  in  the  physical  education  which 
he  received,  and  which  prepared  him  for  enduring  herculean 
labor,  in  the  toils  of  his  boyhood  and  the  labors  of  his  man- 
hood, God  was  giving  him  an  iron  frame.  Next  to  this  was 
his  identification  with  the  heart  of  the  great  people,  under- 
standing their  feelings,  because  he  was  one  of  them,  and  con- 
nected with   them  in    their    movements    and    life.     His    educa- 


144  LIFE     AND    MAETTKDOM 

tion  was  simple  :  a  few  montlis  spent  in  a  school-liouse,  which 
gave  him  the  elements  of  education.  He  read  a  few  books, 
but  mastered  all  he  read.  Bunyan's  Pilgrim's  Progress,  fa- 
bles, and  the  Life  of  Washington,  were  his  favorities.  In 
these  we  recognize  the  works  which  gave  the  bias  to  his 
character,  and  which  partly  molded  his  style.  His  early  life, 
with  its  varied  struggles,  joined  him  indissolubly  to  the  work- 
ing masses,  and  no  elevation  in  society  diminished  his  respect 
for  the  sons  of  toil.  He  knew  what  it  was  to  fell  the  tall 
trees  of  the  forest,  and  to  stem  the  current  of  the  hard 
Mississippi.  His  home  was  in  the  growing  West,  the  heart 
of  the  Republic,  and,  invigorated  by  the  wind  which  swept 
over  its  prairies,  he  learned  lessons  of  self-reliance,  which  sus- 
tained him  in  seasons  of  adversity.  His  genius  was  soon  re- 
cognized, as  true  genius  always  will  be,  and  he  was  placed 
in  the  Legislature  of  his  State.  Already  acquainted  with  the 
principles  of  law,  he  devoted  his  thoughts  to  matters  of  pub- 
lic interest,  and  soon  began  to  be  looked  upon  as  the  com- 
ing  statesman. 

As  early  as  1849  he  presented  resolutions  in  the  Legisla- 
ture, asking  for  emancipation  in  the  District  of  Cdlumbia, 
while,  with  but  rare  exceptions,  the  whole  popular  mind  of 
his  State  was  opposed  to  the  measure.  From  that  hour  he 
was  a  steady  and  uniform  friend  of  humanity,  and  was  pre- 
paring for   the   conflict   of  later   years. 

You  ask  me  on  what  mental  characteristics  his  greatness 
rested.  I  answer,  on  a  quick  and  ready  perception  of  facts ; 
on  a  memory  unusually  tenacious  and  retentive ;  and  on  a 
logical  turn  of  mind,  which  followed  sternly  and  unwavering- 
ly every  link  in  the  chain  of  thought,  on  any  subject  which 
be   was   called    on   to    investigate.     I     think     there    have     been 


OF    ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  141 

minds  more  broad  in  their  character,  more  comprehensive  in 
their  scope ;  but  I  doubt  if  ever  there  has  been  a  man  who 
could  follow  step  by  step,  with  logical  power,  the  points 
which  he  desired  to  illustrate.  He  gained  this  power  by  a 
close  study  of  geometry,  and  by  a  determination  to  persevere 
in    the    truth   in    its   relations   and   simplicity. 

It  is  said  ^of  him  that  in  childhood,  when  he  had  any 
difficulty  in  listening  to  a  conversation  to  ascertain  what  peo- 
ple meant,  if  he  tried  to  rest,  he  could  not  sleep  until  he 
tried  to  understand  the  precise  points  intended,  and  when  un- 
derstood, to  convey  them  in  a  clearer  manner  to  those  who 
did  not.  Who  that  has  read  his  messages  fails  to  perceive 
the  directness  and  the  simplicity  of  his  style ;  and  this  very 
trait,  which  was  scoffed  at  and  derided  by  opponents,  is  now 
recognized  as  one  of  the  strong  points  of  that  mighty  mind 
which  has  so  powerfully  influenced  the  destiny  of  this  nation, 
and  which  shall  for  ages  to  come  influence  the  destiny  of 
humanity. 

It  is  not,  however,  chiefly  by  his  mental  faculties  that  he 
gained  such  control  over  mankind.  His  moral  power  gave 
him  pre-eminence.  The  convictions  of  men  that  Abraham 
Lincoln]  was  an  honest  man,  led  them  to  yield  to  his  guid- 
ance. As  has  been  said  of  Mr.  Cobden,  whom  he  greatly  re- 
spected, he  made  every  man  feel  a  better  sense  of  himself — 
a  recognizement  of  individuality — a  self-relying  power.  They 
saw  in  him  a  man  whom  they  believed  would  do  what  was 
right,  regardless  of  all  consequences.  It  was  the  moral  feel- 
ing which  gave  him  the  greatest  hold  on  the  people,  and 
made   his   utterances   almost  oracular. 

When  the  nation  was  angered  by  the  perfidy  of  foreign 
nations   in   allowing  privateers   to   be   fitted   out,   he   uttered  the 


146  LIFE    AND     MARTYRDOM 

eignificant  expression,  "  One  war  at  a  time,"  and  it  stilled 
the  national  heart.  When  his  own  friends  were  divided  as 
to  what  steps  shou.d  be  taken  as  to  slavery,  that  simple  ut- 
terance, "  I  will  save  the  Union,  if  I  can,  with  slavery ;  but 
if  not  slavery  must  perish  ;  for  the  Union  must  be  preserved" 
— became  the  rallying  word.  Men  felt  the  struggle  was  for 
the  Union,  and  all  other  questions  must  be  subsidiary.  But 
after  all,  by  the  acts  of  a  man  shall  his  fame  be  perpetua- 
ted. Much  praise  is  due  to  the  men  who  aided  him.  He 
called  able  counselors  around  him,  and  able  Generals  into 
the  field — men  who  have  borne  the  sword  as  bravely  as  ever 
any  human  arm  has  borne  it.  He  had  the  aid  of  p.rayerful 
and  thoughtful  men  every-where,  but  under  his  own  guiding 
hands  the  movements  of  our  land  have  been  conducted.  Turn 
toward  the  different  departments.  We  had  an  unorganized  mi- 
litia, a  mere  skeleton  army,  yet,  under  his  care,  that  army 
has  been  enlarged  into  a  force  which,  for  skill,  intelligence, 
efficiency  and  bravery,  surpasses  any  which  the  world  has 
ever  seen.  Before  its  veterans,  the  face  of  even  the  renowned 
veterans  of  Napoleon  shall  pale.  [Applause.]  And  the  moth- 
ers and  sisters  on  these  hill-sides,  and  all  over  the  land, 
shall  take  to  their  arms  again  braver  men  than  ever  fought 
in  European  wars.  The  reason  is  obvions.  Money,  or  a  de- 
sire for  fame  collected  those  armies,  or  they  were  rallied  to 
sustain  favorite  thrones  or  dynasties ;  but  the  armies  he  called 
into  being  fought  for  liberty,  for  the  Union,  and  for  the 
right  of  self-government  J  and  many  of  them  felt  that  the 
battles  they  won  were  for  humanity  every-where  and  for  all 
time ;  for  I  believe  that  God  has  not  suffered  this  terrible 
rebellion   to   come  upon    our     land     merely    for   a   chastisement 


OP     ABRAHAM     LINCOLN  147 

to  US,  or  a  lesson  to  our  age.  There  are  moments  which  in- 
volve in  themselves  eternities.  There  are  instants  which  seem 
to  contain  germs  which  shall  develop  and  bloom  forever. 
Such  a  moment  came  in  the  tide  of  time,  to  our  land,  when 
a  question  must  be  settled — the  power  of  affecting  all  the 
earth.  The  contest  was  for  human  freedom,  not  for  this  Re- 
public merely ;  not  for  the  Union  simply,  but  to  decide 
whether  the  people,  as  a  people,  in  their  entire  majesty,  were 
destined  to  be  the  Government,  or  whether  they  were  to  be 
subject   to   tyrants  or   autocrats,    or   to   class   rule   of  any  kind. 

This  is  the  great  question  for  which  we  have  been  fight- 
ing, and  its  decision  is  at  hand ;  and  the  result  of  the  con- 
test will  affect  the  ages  to  come.  If  successful,  republics  will 
spread,  in  spite  of  monarchs,  all  over  this  earth.  [Exclama- 
tions  of  "Amen;"  "Thank    God."] 

I  turn  from  the  army  to  the  navy.  "What  was  it  when 
the  war  commenced?  Now  we  have  our  ships  of  war  at 
home  and  abroad  to  guard  privateers  in  foreign  sympathizing 
ports,  as  well  as  to  care  for  every  part  of  our  own  coast. 
They  have  taken  forts  that  military  men  said  could  not  be 
taken;  and  a  brave  Admiral,  for  the  first  time  in  the  world's 
history,  lashes  himself  to  the  mast,  there  to  remain  as  long 
as  he  had  a  particle  of  skill  or  strength  to  watch  over  his 
ship  while  it  engaged  in  the  perilous  contest  of  taking  the 
strong   forts   of  the  enemy. 

Then,  again,  I  turn  to  the  Treasury  Department.  Where 
should  the  money  come  from?  Wise  men  predicted  ruin;  but 
our  national  credit  has  been  maintained  and  our  currency  is 
safer  to-day  than  it  ever  was  before.  Not  only  so,  but  through 
our   national   bonds,   if  properly  used,  we  shall  have  a  perma- 


148  LIFE      AND      MARTTRDOM 

nent  basis  for  currency,  and  an  investment  so  desirable  fof 
capitalists  of  other  nations,  that  under  the  laws  of  trade,  I 
believe  the  center  of  exchange  will  be  transferred  from  Eng- 
land  to  the   United   States.  ' 

But  the  great  act  of  the  mighty  chieftain,  on  which  his 
fame  shall  rest  long  after  his  frame  shall  moldor  away,  is 
that  of  giving  freedom  to  a  race.  We  have  ail  been 
taught  to  revere  the  sacred  characters.  We  have  thought 
of  Moses,  of  his  power,  and  the  prominence  he  gave  to 
the  moral  law,  and  how  his  name  now  towers  high  among 
the  names  in  heaven,  and  how  he  delivered  three  millions 
of  his  kindred  out  of  bondage ;  and  yet  we  may  assert 
that  Abraham  Lincoln,  by  his  proclamation,  liberated  more 
enslaved  people  than  ever  Moses  set  free,  and  those  not 
of  his  kindred  or  of  his  race.  Such  a  power  or  such  an 
opportunity  has  seldom  been  given  to  man.  When  other 
events  shall  have  been  forgotten  ;  when  the  world  shall 
become  a  net- work  of  republics ;  when  every  throne  shall 
have  been  swept  from  the  face  of  the  earth ;  when  litera- 
ture shall  enlighten  all  minds ;  when  the  claims  of  human- 
ity shall  be  recognized  everywhere,  this  act  shall  still  be 
conspicuous  on  the  pages  of  history ;  and  "we  are  thankful 
that  God  gave  to  Abraham  Lincoln  the  decision  and  wisdom 
and  grace  to  issue  that  proclamation,  which  stands  high 
above  all  other  papers  which  have  been  penned  by  unin- 
spired  men.     [Applause.] 

Abraham  Lincoln  was  a  good  man ;  he  was  known  as 
an  honest,  temperate,  forgiving  man;  a  just  man;  a  man 
of  a  noble  heart  in  every  way.  As  to  his  religious 
experience,   I  cannot  speak    definately,     because     I    was    not 


OF     ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  149 

privileged  to  know  much  of  his  private  sentiments.  My 
acquaintance  with  him  did  not  give  me  the  opportunity  to 
hear  him  speak  on  those  topics.  This  I  know,  however » 
he  read  the  Bible  frequently,  loved  it  for  its  great  truths, 
and  profound  teachings ;  and  he  tried  to  be  guided  by  its 
precepts.  He  believed  in  Christ,  the  Saviour  of  sinners, 
and  I  think  he  was  sincerely  trying  to  bring  his  life  into 
the  principles  of  revealed  religion.  Certainly,  if  there  ever 
was  a  man  who  illustrated  some  of  the  principles  of  pure 
religion,  that  man  was  our  departed  President.  Look  over 
all  his  speeches ;  listen  to  his  utterances.  He  never  spoke 
unkindly  of  any  man ;  even  the  rebels  received  no  words 
of  anger  from  him ;  and  the  last  day  illustrated,  in  a  re- 
markable manner,  his  forgiving  disposition.  A  dispatch 
was  received  that  afternoon,  that  Thompson  and  Tucker 
"were  trying  to  make  their  escape  through  Maine,  and  it 
was  proposed  to  arrest  them.  Mr.  Lincoln,  however,  pre- 
ferred, rather  to  let  them  quietly  escape.  He  was  seeking 
to  save  the  very  men  who  had  been  plotting  his  destruction, 
and  this  morning  we  read  a  proclamation  offering  $25,000 
for  the  arrest  of  these  men,  as  aiders  and  abettors  of 
assassination.  So  that  in  his  expiring  acts  he  was  saying, 
"Father,   forgive  them;    they    know   not  what   they   do." 

To  the  address  of  a  large  religious  body  he  replied ; 
"  Thanks  be  unto  God,  who,  in  our  national  trials,  giveth 
us  the  churches."  To  a  minister  who  said  "he  hoped  the 
Lord  was  on  our  side,"  he  replied  that  it  gave  him  no  concern 
whether  the  Lord  was  on  our  side  or  not,  "for"  he  added 
"  I  know  the  Lord  is  always  on  the  side  of  right";  and 
with  deep  feeling  added,  "  but  God    is    my  witness    that    it 


160  LIFE    AND    MARTYRDOM 

is   my   constant  anxiety    and  prayer    that    both    myself    and 
this   nation   should  be  on    the   Lord's   side." 

As  a  rule,  I  doubt  if  any  President  has  ever  shown  such 
a  trust  in  God,  or  in  public  documents  so  frequently 
referred  to  Divine  aid.  Often  did  he  remark  to  friends 
and  to  delegations  that  his  hojDe  for  our*  success  rested  in 
his  conviction  that  God  would  bless  our  efforts,  because 
we   were  trying   to  do   right. 

In  his  domestic  life  he  was  exceedingly  kind  and  affec 
tionate.  He  was  a  devoted  husband  and  father.  During 
his  Presidential  term  he  lost  his  second  son,  Willie.  To 
an  officer  of  the  army  he  said  not  long  since :  "  Do  you 
ever  find  yourself  talking  with  the  dead?"  and  added — 
"  Since  Willie's  death,  I  catch  myself  every  day  involun- 
tarily  talking   with   him   as   if  he   wei'e   with   me." 

On  his  widow,  who  is  uuable  to  be  here,  I  need  only 
invoke  the  blessing  of  Almighty  God,  that  she  may  be 
comforted  and  sustained.  For  his  son,  who  has  witnessed 
the  exercises  of  this  hour,  all  that  I  can  desire  is  that  the 
mantle  of  his  father  may  fall  upon  him.  [Exclamatious  of 
"  Amen."] 

Let  us  pause  a  moment  on  the  lesson  of  the  hour  before 
we  part.  This  man,  though  he  fell  by  an  assassin,  still 
fell  under  the  permissive  hand  of  God.  He  had  some 
wise  purpose  in  allowing  him  so  to  fall.  What  more 
could  he  have  desired  of  life  to  himself?  Were  not  his 
honors  full?  There  was  no  office  to  which  he  could  aspire. 
The  popular  heart  clung  around  him  as  around  no  other 
man.  The  nations  of  the  world  had  learned  to  honor 
our    Chief    Magistrate.        If  rumors  of  a   desired   alliance   with 


OF    ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  161 

England  be  true,  Napoleon  trembled  when  he  heard  of  the 
fall  of  Richmond,  and  asked  what  nation  would  join  him  to 
protect  him  against   our   Government. 

Besides,  the  guidance  of  such  a  man,  his  fame,  was  full  j 
his  work  was  done,  and  he  sealed  his  glory  by  becoming  the 
nation's   great  martyr   for   liberty. 

He  appears  to  have  had  a  strange  presentiment  early  in 
his  political  life  that  some  day  he  would  be  President.  You 
see  it  indicated  in  1839.  Of  the  slave  power  he  said:  "Broken 
by  it  I  too  may  be;  bow  to  it  I  never  will.  The  probability 
that  we  may  fail  in  this  struggle,  ought  not  to  deter  us 
from  the  support  of  a  cause  which  we  deem  to  be  just.  It 
shall  not  deter  me.  If  ever  I  feel  the  soul  within  me 
elevate  and  expand  to  those  dimensions  not  wholly  unworthy 
of  its  Almighty  architect,  it  is  when  I  contemplate  the  cause 
of  my  country.  Deserted  by  all  the  world  beside,  and 
standing  up  boldly  and  alone,  and  hurling  defiance  at  her 
victorious  oppressors ;  here,  without  contemplating  consequences, 
before  high  heaved  and  in  the  face  of  the  world,  I  swear 
eternal  fidelity  to  the  just  cause,  as  I  deem  it,  of  the  land 
of  my  life,  my  liberty,  and  my  love."  And  yet  secretly  he 
said  to  more  than  one,  "  I  never  shall  live  out  the  four  years 
of  my  term.  When  the  rebellion  is  crushed,  my  work  is 
done."  So  it  was.  He  lived  to  see  the  last  battle  fought, 
and  to  dictate  a  dispatch  from  the  home  of  Jefi"erson  Davis ; 
lived  till  the  power  of  the  rebellion  was  broken,  and  then, 
having  done  the  work  for  which  God  had  sent  him,  angels, 
I  trust,  were  sent  to  shield  him  from  one  moment  of  pain 
or  suffering,  and  to  bear  him  from  this  world  to  that  high 
and  glorious  realm  where  the  patriot  and  the  good  shall  live 
forever.  -^ 


162  LIFE    AND     MARTYRDOM 

His  example  teaches  young  men  that  every  position  of 
eminence  is  open  before  the  diligent  and  the  worthy,  to  the 
ictive  men  of  the  country.  His  example  urges  the  country 
to    trust   in   God    and   do    right. 

Standing  as  we  do  to-day,  by  his  coffin  and  sepulcher,  let 
us  resolve  to  carry  forward  the  policy  which  he  so  nobly 
began.  Let  us  do  right_^  to  all  men.  Let  us  vow,  in  the 
sight  of  Heaven,  eradicate  every  vestige  of  human  slavery . 
to  give  every  human  being  his  true  position  before  God  and 
man ;  to  crush  every  form  of  rebellion,  and  to  stand  by  the 
flag  which  God  has  given  us.  How  joyful  that  it  floated 
over  a  part  of  every  State  before  Mr.  Lincoln's  career  was 
ended. 

How  singular  that,  to  the  fact  of  the  assassin's  heel  being 
caught  in  the  folds  of  the  flag,  we  are  probably  indebted' 
for  his  capture.  The  flag  and  the  traitor  must  ever  be 
enemies. 

Traitors  will  probably  suff"er  by  the  change  of  rulers,  for 
one  of  sterner  mold,  and  who  himself  has  deeply  sufi"ered 
from   the   rebellion,   now   wields  the    sword   of   justice. 

Our  country,  too,  is  stronger  for  the  trial.  A  reiJublic 
was  declared  by  monarchists  to  weak  to  endure  a  civil  war. 
Yet  we  have  crushed  the  most  gigantic  rebellion  in  history, 
and  have  grown  in  strength  and  population  every  year  of 
the  struggle.  "VYe  have  passed  through  the  ordeal  of  a  pop- 
ular election,  while  swords  and  bayonets  were  in  the  field, 
and   have   come   out  unharmed. 

And  now  in  an  hour  of  excitement,  with  a  large  minority 
having  preferred  another  man  for  President,  the  bullet  of 
the  assassin  has  laid  our  President  prostrate.  Has  there  been 
a   mutiny.  ?     Has    any   rival   proposed   his    claims  ?     Out   of    an 


OF     ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  163 

army  of  near  a  million,  no  officer  or  soldier  uttered  one 
note  of  dissent ;  and  in  an  hour  or  two  after  Mr.  Lincoln's 
death,  another  leader,  with  constitutional  powers,  occupied  his 
chair,  and  the  Government  moved  forward  without  a  single 
jar.  The  world  will  learn  that  republics  are  the  strongest 
governments    on    earth. 

To  the  ambitious  there  is  this  fearful  lesson :  Of  the  four 
candidates  for  Presidential  honors  in  1860,  two  of  them 
Douglas  and  Lincoln,  onc^  competitors — but  now  sleeping  pa- 
triots— rest  from  their  labors  j  Bell  perished  in  poverty  and 
misery,  as  a  traitor  might  perish,  and  Breckinridge  is  a 
frightened   fugitive,    with  the    brand   of    traitor    on   his  brow. 

And  now,  my  friends,  in  the  words  of  the  departed,  "With 
malice  toward  none ;''  free  from  all  feeling  of  personal  ven- 
geance, yet  believing  the  sword  must  not  be  borne  in  vain, 
let  us  go  forward,  even  in  painful  duty.  Let  every  man 
who  was  a  Senator,  or  Representative  in  Congress,  and  who 
aided  in  beginning  this  rebellion,  and  thus  led  to  the  slaugh- 
ter of  our  sons  and  daughters,  be  brought  to  speedy  and  to 
certain  punishment.  Let  every  officer  educated  at  public  ex- 
pense, and  who,  having  been  advanced  to  position  has  per- 
jured himself,  and  has  turned  his  sword  againijt  the  vitals  of 
his  country,  be  doomed  to  a  felon's  death.  This,  I  believe, 
is  the  will  of  the  American  people.  Men  may  attempt  to 
compromise  and  to  restore  these  traitors  and  murderers  to 
society  again,  but  the  American  people  will  rise  in  their 
majesty  and  sweep  all  •  such  compromises  and  compromisers 
away,  and  shall  declare  that  there  shall  be  no  peace  to 
rebels. 

But  to  the  deluded  masses  we  shall  extend  arms  of  forgive- 
ness.    We   will   take   them   to   our   hearts.     We  will   walk  with 


154  LIFE     AND     MAKTYKDOM 

them  side  by  side,  as  we  go  forward  to  work  out  a  glorious 
destiny.  The  time  will  come  when,  in  the  beautiful  words  of 
him  whose  lips  are  now  forever  sealed,  "  the  mystic  cords 
of  memory,  which  stretch  from  every  battle-field  and  from 
every  patriot's  grave  shall  yield  a  sweeter  music  when  touch- 
ed  by  the   angels   of    our   better   nature." 

The  closing  prayer  was  ofi'ered  up  by  Dr.  Harkey.  Next 
in  continuation  was  the  requiem,  "Peace,  troubled  soul,"  the 
benediction  by  Dr.  P.  D.  Gurley,  the  President's  former  pas- 
tor, and  last  of  all,  a  funeral  hymn,  composed  by  Dr.  Gur- 
ley  for  the    occasion,   and   the  doxology : 

Rest,  noble  martjr!    rest  in  peace  j 

Eest  with   the  true  and  brave, 
Who,  like  thee,   fell  in   Freedom'8   cause, 

The  Nation's  life  to  save. 

Thy  name  shall  live  while  time  endures, 

And  men   shall  say   of  thee, 
"He  saved  his  country   from  its   foes, 

And  bade  the  slave  be  free." 

These  deeds  shall  be  thy  monument, 

Better  than  brass  or  stone ; 
They   leave   thy   fame  in   glory's  light, 

Unrivard  and  alone. 

This  consecrated  spot  shall  be  , 

*To   Freedom   ever  dear; 
And  Freedom's  sons  of   every  race 
Shall  weep  and  worship  here. 

0   God  I    before  whom  we,  in  tears, 

Our   fallen   Chief   deplore. 
Grant  that  the  cause,   for  which  he  died* 

May  live  for  evermore. 

DOXOLOGY. 

To  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost, 

The  God   whom  we  adore. 
Be  glory  as   it  was,   is  now, 
And  shall  be  evermore. 


REMINISCENCES    AND    INCIDENTS. 

AB..    LINCOLN    AND  JOHN    E.   Mc  DONOUGH,  THE  ACTO  R. 

In  an  address  delivered  on  the  24tli  of  April  by  Hon.  W. 
D.  Kelly  before  the  Girls'  High  and  Normal  School  of 
Philadelphia,  the  speaker  referred  to  a  number  of  interesting 
incidents  in  the  life  and  character  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  among 
other  things  spoke  of  an  interview  between  Mr.  Lincoln  and 
the  well-known  actor,  John  E.  McDonough.  Mr.  Kelly  thus 
describes   this    meeting : 

On  a  very  rainy  night  during  the  session  of  Congress  pre- 
ceding the  last,  I  found  at  my  room  Rev.  Benjamin  R.  Mil- 
ler, Chaplain  of  the  118th  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  and  Mr. 
John  E.  McDonough,  the  actor,  who  was  on  the  next  night 
to  begin  playing  in  "Washington  his  extravaganza  of  the 
"Seven  Sisters,"  by  which  he  had  done  considerable  in  pro- 
moting patriotic  feeling  among  the  young  people  in  the  coun- 
try. Duty  and  pleasure  prompted  me  to  give  the  evening  to 
them  in  some  way,  and  I  felt  that  I  might  do  good  to 
them,  perhaps  to  myself — perhaps  to  my  country,  too — by 
taking  them  to  see  our  good  President.  I  proposed  that  we 
should  go ;  they  readily  assented,  and  we  started  at  once  for 
the    White   House.     We   found     Mr.   Lincoln     alone  j     and,     on 

[1551 


156  LIFE    AND    MARTYRDOM 

entering,  I  said  to  him  that  we  had  come  to  trouble  him 
professionally,  and  probably  to  perplex  him  Bt>mewhat,  as  we 
represented  three  professions — the  law,  divinity  and  the  histrionic 
profession.  I  introduced  my  friend  Miller  as  the  reverend 
chaplain,  and  Mr.  McDonough  as  "Mrs.  Pluto,"  the  name  of 
the    character   he    sustained   in    tho   extravaganza. 

"Well,"  said  the  President,  "pray  tell  me,  how  do  your 
chaplain  and  'Mrs.  Pluto'  get  along  together?  I  should  think 
there  might  be  some  discord  in  a  family  made  up  of  such 
materials." 

They  were  soon  seated,  at  his  bidding,  and,  after  a  few 
words  to  the  chaplain,  who  had  come  from  the  field,  he 
turned   to   Mr.  McDonough   and   said: — 

"I  am  very  glad  to  see  you,  sir,  for  I  want  to  learn  some- 
thing of  Shakespeare.  I  don't  get  much  time  to  study  his 
writings,  and  I  want  to  put  some  questions  to  you  that  I 
put  to  Mr.  Hackett.  I  will  tell  you,  frankly,  that  Mr.  Hack- 
ett's  replies,  on  one  or  two  of  the  points,  were  very  unsatis- 
factory to  me ;  they  almost  impressed  me  with  a  doubt  as  to 
whether  he  studies  Shakespeare  thoroughly,  or  only  the  acting 
plays." 

Eaising  from  his  seat,  he  went  to  a  shelf,  and  took  down 
Lis  volumes  of  Shakespeare.  Having  found  the  passage,  in 
"  Henry  "  IV."  about  which  he  desired  to  inquire,  he  read 
a  portion  of  it,  and  said  to  Mr.  McDonough,  "  Can  you  tell 
me  why  that  is  omitted  from  the  acting  play?  There  is 
nothing  in  all  Shakespeare — certainly  nothing  in  'Henry  IV.' 
or  the  '  Merry  Wives  of  Windsor' — that  equals  it  in  wit  and 
humor."  Mr.  McDonough  gave  him  what  he  believed  to  be 
his   reasons — those   which  were   conclusive  with   him. 


OF     ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  157 

The  President  said: — "  Those  are  more  satisfactory  than  Mr. 
Hackett's  reasons,  but  they  do  not  entirely  satisfy  me."  Then 
turning  to  my  friend  Mr.  Miller,  he  said: — "  Probably  you 
do  not  know  that  the  acting  plays  are  not  the  plays  as 
Shakespeare  wrote  them.  '  Eiehard  III.,'  for  instance,  begins 
with  passages  from  'Henry  VI.; '  then  you  get  a  portion  of 
'Richard  III.;'  then  more  of  'Henry  VI.;'  and  then  there 
is  one  of  the  best  known  soliloques,  which  is  not  Shakes- 
peare's at  all,  but  was  written  by  quite  another  man — by 
CoUey   Gibber — was   it  not,   Mr.    McDonough? " 

Branching  off  from  Shakespeare,  Mr.  Lincoln  cited  brief 
passages  from  Byron,  Rogers,  Campbell,  Moore,  and  I  think 
a  short  one  from  Shelley,  always  running  a  parallel  between 
the  passage  he  quoted  and  some  passage  or  scene  in  Shake- 
speare. Finally  he  said: — "  But  there  is  a  great  deal  of  very 
fine  poetry  floating  about  anonymously.  There  is  one  poem 
that  is  almost  continually  present  with  me;  it  crosses  my 
mind  whenever  I  have  relief  from  thought  and  care."  He  then 
recited  some  verses  of  the  poem,  which  Mr.  Carpenter  was  for- 
tunate enough   to   indite   from   his    lips: — 

OH,    WHY    SHOULD    THE    SPIKIT    OP    MOETAL    BE    PEOUD. 
Oh,    why  should   the  spirit  of  mortal  be  proud  7 
Like  a  swift,  fleeting  meteor,   a  fast  flying  cloud, 
A  flash  of  the   lightning,  a  break  of  the  wave, 
He  passeth  from  life  to  his   rest  in  the  grave. 

The  leaves  of  the  oak  and  the  willow  shall  fade, 

Be  scattered  around  and  together  be   laid ; 

And  the  young  and  the  old,  and  the  low  and  tjio  bighf 

Shall  moulder  to  dust  and  together  shall  lie. 

The  infant  a  mother  attended  and  loved. 
The  mother  that  infant's  affection  who  proved ; 
The  husband  that  mother   and  infant  who  blessed, 
Each,  all,  are  away  to  their  dwellings  of  rest. 
11 


168  LIFE     AND    MARTYRDOM 

The  hand  of  the   king  that   the  sceptre  hath  borne; 
The    brow  of  the  priest  that   the  mitre   hath   worn ; 
The   eye   of  the   sage   and   the  heart  of  the   brave, 
Are  hidden  and  lost  in   the  depth  of  the  grave. 

The  peasant,   whose  lot  was   to   sow  and  to  reap ; 
The   herdsman   who   climbed   with   his   goats   up    the   steep ; 
The   beggar,  who  wandered   in    searoh  of  his   bread, 
Have  faded  away   like  the  grass    that  we   tread. 

So   the  multitude   goes,  like   the   flower  or   the  weed, 
That   withers  away  to  let   others   succeed ; 
So   the  multitude   comes,   even    those   we   behold, 
To  repeat  every   tale   that  has  often   been   told. 

For  we  are   the   same  that   our   fathers   have  been ; 
We   see   the   same  sights   that   our    father's  have   seen, 
We   drink   the   same   stream   and   view   the   same   sun. 
And  run     the   same   course  our   fathers   have    run. 

The   thoughts   we    are    thinking     our   fathers   would   think  j 
From   the   death   we   are   shrinking  our  fathers    would   shrink ; 
To   the  life   we  are   clinging   they  also   will   cling ; 
But  it  speeds   for  us  all,  like  a  bird  on   the  wing. 

They   loved,   but  the   story   we   cannot   unfold  ; 
They  scorned,    but   the  heart    of  the   haughty   is   cold ; 
They   grieved,   but   no  wail  from  their    slumber    will  comej 
They  joyed,    but  the   tongue   of  their  gladness   is  dumb. 

They    died,  ay  I    they   died ;    we   things    that   are   now, 

That   walk  on   the   turf  that   lies  over   their   brow. 

And  make    in    their   dwellings   a  transient   abode, 

Meet   the   things   that   they   met  on  their   pilgrimage  road. 

Yea  I   hope   and   despondency,   pleasure   and   pain. 
We  mingle   together  in   sunshine    and  rain  ; 
And   the   smile   and   the  tear,    the    song    and   the   dirge. 
Still  follow   each  other,   like   surge   upon   surge. 

*Tis  the   wink   of  an  'eye,    'tis    the   draft  of  a  breath  ; 
From   the   blossom  of  health  to   the   paleness   of  death, 
From  the  gilded  saloon   to  the  bier  and  the   shroud. 
Oh,  why   should  the  spirit  of  mortal  be  proud? 

"Now,"    said   he,    "I   do   not  know   wtere   there  is  anything 

truer,     more     touching,     more   rhythmical    than     that :     and   1 


OF    ABRAHAM    LIN  00  LK.  159 

wish  that  if  any  of  you  should  chance  at  any  time  to  learn 
the  name  of  the  author,  you  would  let  me  know  it.  I  have 
known  the  poem  for  years,  hut  I  have  never  heen  able  to 
learn  who  wrote  it,  and  I  want  to  regard  him  by  name  as 
a  friend,"  Do  you  mark  why  he  wanted  to  know  the  author? 
He  wanted  to  know  the  name  that  he  might  love  the  in- 
dividual who  had  given  him  so  much  pleasure.  When  we 
parted   from   him,  he   said : 

"Gentlemen,  I  am  deeply  grateful  to  you  for  this  visit. 
The  heavy  rain  that  has  kept  other  visitors  away  has  been 
a  comfort  to  me.  Since  I  became  a  candidate  for  the  Presi- 
dency, I  have  not  enjoyed  two  consecutive  hours  of  conversa- 
tion on  literature  until  to-night,  and  I  feel  so  refreshed  that 
if  I  could  only  hope  to  have  the  time;  I  would  beg  you  to 
come   soon   again." 

MR.   COLFAX  ON  MR.  LINCOLN. 

In  the  memorial  addresses,  delivered  in  Chicago,  on  the 
character  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  Mr.  Colfax,  of  Indiana,  re- 
lated  of  the   late   President   the    following : 

One  morning,  over  two  years  ago,  calling  upon  him  on 
business,  I  found  him  looking  more  than  usually  pale  and 
careworn,  and  inquired  the  reason.  He  replied  that  the  bad 
news  he  had  received  at  a  late  hour  the  previous  night, 
which  had  not  yet  been  communicated  to  the  press,  adding 
that  he  had  not  closed  his  eyes  or  breakfasted ;  and;  with  an 
expression  I  never  shall  forget,  he  exclaimed ;  "How  willing- 
ly would  I  exchange  places  to-day,  with  the  soldier  who 
sleeps   on   the   ground   in   the   Army   of  the    Potomac," 

No  one  could  ever  convince  the  President  that  he  was  in 
danger   of     violent    death.      Judging    others     by    himself,    he 


160  LIFE     AND     MARTYRDOM 

could  not  realize  that  any  one  could  seek  his  blood.  Or  he 
may  have  believed  as  Napoleon  wrote  to  Jerome,  that  no 
public  man  could  effectually  shield  himself  from  the  danger 
of  assassination.  Easier  of  access  to  the  public  at  large 
than  had  been  any  of  his  predecessors,  admitting  his  bit- 
terest enemies  to  his  reception  rooms,  alone  ;  restive  under 
the  cavalry  escort  which  Secretary  Stanton  insisted  should 
accompany  him  last  summer,  in  his  daily  journeys  between 
the  White  House  and  his  summer  residence,  at  the  Soldier's 
Home,  several  miles  from  Washington,  at  a  time,  too,  as 
since  ascertained  in  the  details  of  this  long  organized  plot, 
discovered  since  his  death,  when  it  was  intended  to  gag  and 
hand-cuff  him,  and  to  carry  him  to  the  rebel  capitol  as  a 
hostage  for  their  recognition ;  sometimes  escaping  from  their 
escort,  by  anticipating  their  usual  hour  of  attendance ;  walk- 
ing about  the  gardens  unattended ;  he  could  not  be  persuad- 
ed that  he  ran  any  risk  whatever.  Being  at  City  Point  af- 
ter the  evacuation  of  Eichmond,  he  determined  to  go  thither, 
not  from  idle  curiosity,  but  to  see  if  he  could  not  do  some- 
thing to  stop  the  effusion  of  blood,  and  hasten  the  peace 
for   which   he   longed. 

The  ever  watchful  Secretary  of  War  hearing  of  it,  im- 
plored him,  by  telegraph,  not  to  go,  and  warned  him  that 
some  lurking  assassin  might  take  his  life.  But,  armed  with 
his  good  intentions — alas,  how  feeble  a  shield  they  proved 
against  the  death-blow  afterward — he  went,  walked  fearlessly 
and  carelessly  through  the  streets — met  and  conferred  with  a 
rebel  leader,  who  had  remained  there ;  and  when  he  returned 
to  City  Point,  telegraphed  to  his  faithful  friend  and  consti- 
tutional  adviser,   who   till   then   had   feared,   as  we  all    did    at 


OP    ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  161 

that  time,  for  his  life,  "I  received  your  dispatch  last  nighi, 
went  to  Richmond  this  morning,  and  have  just  returned — 
Abraham  Lincoln."  When  I  told  him,  on  that  last  night, 
how  uneasy  all  had  been  at  his  going,  he  replied,  pleasantly 
and  with  a  smile,  (I  quote  his  exact  words):  "Why  if  any 
one  else  Lad  been  President  and  gone  to  Richmond,  I  would 
have  been  alarmed  too ;  but  I  was  not  scared  about  myself 
a  bit."  If  any  of  you  have  ever  been  at  Washington,  you 
will  remember  the  foot-path  lined  and  embowered  with  trees 
leading  from  the  back  door  of  the  War  Department  to  the 
White  House.  One  night  and  but  recently,  too,  when  in  his 
anxiety  for  news  from  the  army,  he  had  been  with  the  Sec- 
retary in  the  telegraph  office  of  the  department,  he  was 
starting  home  at  a  late  hour  by  this  short  route.  Mr.  Stan- 
ton stopped  him  and  said,  "You  ought  not  to  go  that  way ; 
io  is  dangerous  for  you  even  in  the  daytime,  but  worse  at 
night."  Mr.  Lincoln  replied,  "I  don't  believe  there's  any 
danger  there,  day  or  night."  Mr.  Stanton  replied  solemnly, 
"Well,  Mr.  President,  you  shall  not  be  killed  returning  that  way 
from  my  department  while  I  am  in  it ;  you  must  let  me  take 
you  round  by  the  avenae  in  my  carriage."  And  Mr.  Lin- 
coln joining  the  Secretary  on  his  imperious  military  ordets 
and  his  needless  alarm  on  his  account,  as  he  called  it,  en- 
tered the  carriage  and  was  driven  by  the  well-lighted  avenue 
to   the   White   House. 


162  LIFE      AND      MARTYRDOM 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN— AN  ODE, 

A  noble  poem,  by  R.  H.  Stoddard,  entitled  "Abraham  Lin- 
coln, an  Oration  Ode,"  has  just  been  published  in  New  York. 
The  following  stanzas  describe  the  funeral  procession  through 
the   States,   and  are  worthy   the   great   occasion : 

Peace  I  Let  the  long  procession  come 

For  hark  1 — the  mournful  mufHled  drum — 

The  trumpet's  wail  afar — 

And  see  1  the  awful  Car  1 

Peace  I  Let  the  sad  procession  go, 
While  cannon  hoom,  and  bells  toll  slow ; 

And  go,  thou  sacred  Car, 

Bearing  our  Woe  afar  I 

Go,  darkly  borne,  from  State  to  State, 
Whose,  loyal,  sorrowing  cities  wait 

To  honor  all  they  can 

The  dust  of  that  Good  Man  I 

Go,  grandly  borne,  with  such  a  train 
As  greatest  kings  might  die  to  gain  ; 

The  Just,  the  Wise,  the  Brave 

Attend  thee  to  the  grave  t 

And  you,  the  soldiers  of  our  wars. 
Bronzed  veterans,  grim  with  noble  scars. 

Salute  him  once  again. 

Your  late  Commander — slain  I 

Yes,  let  your  tears,  indignant,  fall. 
But  leave  your  muskets  on  the  wall  j 

Your  Country  needs  you  now 
Beside  the  forge,  the  plow  I 

(When  Justice  shall  unsheath  her  brand— 
If  Mercy  may  not  stay  her  hand. 

Nor  would  we  have  it  so — 

She  must  direct  the  blow)  I 


OF     ABRAHAM    LINOOLK.  H3 


So  sweetly,  sadly,  sternly  goes 

The  Fallen  to  his  last  repose ; 

Beneath  no  mighty  dome 
But  in  his  modest  Home  I 

The  church-yard  where  his  children  rest. 
The  quiet  spot  that  suits  him  best ; 

There  shall  his  grave  be  made, 
And  there  his  bones  be  laid  1 

And  there  his  countrymen  shall  come. 

With  memory  proud,  with  pity  dumb. 

And  strangers  far  and  near. 

For  many  and  many  a  year 

For  many  a  year,  and  many  an  age, 
While  History  on  her  ample  page. 
The  virtues  shall  enroll 
Of  that  Patern&I  SooL 


164  LIFE    AND    MARTYRDOM 


TRIAL  OF  THE  CONSPIRATORS. 


THE    PRELIMINARIES. 

Immediately  after  the  arrest  of  the  chief  conspirators,  preparations 
commenced  for  their  trial  before  a  military  commission.  This 
method  of  procedure  caused  considerable  dissatisfaction  among  those 
whose  loyalty  could  not  be  questioned ;  for  the  reason  that  they 
regarded  this  species  of  trial  as  only  to  be  resorted  to,  and  that 
very  sparingly,  during  the  existence  of  actual  war,  and  where  justice 
could  be  administered  in  no  other  form,  as  in  the  case  of  States  where 
the  functions  of  the  civil  authorities  had  been  suspended  ;  but  they 
contended  that,  with  the  surrender  of  Lee  and  Johnston,  hostilities 
had  ended  ;  and  that,  even  if  they  had  not,  courts  were  in  existence 
in  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  a  loyal  jury  could  readily  be  em- 
panneled ;  therefore,  a  civil  trial  was  the  proper  method  of  punish- 
ing the  culprits,  who  had,  by  their  foul  murder,  made  a  nation 
mourn.  Such  of  the  leading  organs  of  public  opinion  as  did  not 
oppose  the  proceedings  of  the  government,  either  kept  silent,  or 
mildly  justified  a  resort  to  military  law,  from  a  supposed  necessity  j 
but  it  was  not  difficult  to  see  that  they  would  have  preferred  that 
the  law  proper  had  taken  its  course. 

But  if  the  trial  by  a  military  commission  called  forth  opposition, 
it  was  faint,  indeed,  compared  with  the  protest  which  went  out 
against  a  secret  trial  by  that  same  tribunal ;  for  at  first  the  doors  of 
the  court  room  were  closed,  and  it  was  understood  that  the  public 
would  be  excluded  entirely  j  and  that  only  such  portions  of  the  tea- 

(164) 


OP    ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  165 

timony  as  the  War  Department  might  deem  proper  should  be  made 
public.  "  It  would  have  been  far  better  every  way,"  even  the  New 
York  Times  was  compelled  to  say,  "  if  these  trials  could  have  been  held 
before  the  ordinary  civil  tribunals  of  the  land,  and  in  the  presence  of 
the  people  ;"  and  the  Tribune  asked  :  "  What  reason,  what  excuse  can 
be  urged,  to  justify  the  sending  of  this  case  before  a  court  martial, 
and  having  it  tried  in  secret?  How  can  such  a  trial  be  reconciled 
with  the  plain  provisions  of  the  Constitution  ?"  And  nearly  ever^ 
loyal  paper  in  the  county  took  a  similar  view  of  the  case.  Nearly  ai. 
contended  that,  the  war  having  ended,  its  necessary  accompaniments, 
wherever  hostilities  were  carried — military  commissions — should  cease 
with  it. 

Nevertheless,  the  government  ordered  the  trials  to  take  place  be- 
fore a  court  martial,  justifying  itself  on  the  grounds  that  the  crime 
was  the  murder  of  the  Commander-in-chief  of  the  armies  of  the 
United  States,  and  that  it  was  committed  within  the  walls  of  a  forti- 
fied town  ;  and  the  secresy,  as  wa?  afterward  found,  was  confined  to 
the  testimony  of  a  few  witnesses,  who  had  it  in  their  power,  and  were 
disposed,  to  reveal  the  part  taken  by  others,  whom  it  might  be  im- 
prudent to  arrest  or  demand  from  foreign  powers  ;  and  also  to  pro- 
tect witnesses,  who  might,  by  their  revelations,  endanger  their  own 
lives,  should  they  ever  come  in  contact  with  parties  whom  they 
implicated. 

But  whether  these  reasons  were,  or  were  not,  a  full  justification, 
time  and  the  public  will  decide.  By  the  laws  of  the  District  of  Col- 
umbia, the  crime  of  which  the  accused  were  guilty  is  punishable  with 
death  ;  and  a  grand  jury  would  have  listened  to  all  the  secret  testi- 
mony, and  found  indictments  against  all  parties  concerned ;  but  the 
government  decided  to  try  the  culprits  by  a  military  commission ; 
and  however  summary  such  a  process  nray  be,  the  people  will  scarcely 
say  that  a  single  partner  in  the  graat  guilt  received  more  than  full 
justice  ;  and  that,  too,  though  they  *ould  have  doubtless  preferred 
to  see  the  forms  of  law  adhered  to  In  the  trial.  There  is  little  dan- 
ger that  this  case  will  ever  be  used  as  a  precedent,  because  a  similar 


166  LIFE    AND    MARTYRDOM 

crime,  under  like  circumstances,  is,  now  that  tlie  government  has 
triumphed  over  all  its  foes,  not  only  an  improbability,  but  next  to  an 
impossibility. 

The  order  convening  the  court  was  issued  on  the  1st  day  of  May, 
and  it  was  directed  that  the  trial  should  take  place  in  a  room  of  the 
old  Penitentiary  building,  near  the  cells  of  the  prisoners,  in  order  that 
there  might  be  no  opportunity  to  escape,  while  in  the  hands  of  a 
guard  en  route  from  place  to  place.  Hon.  John  A.  Bingham,  and 
Brevet-Col.  Burnett,  acted  as  Judge  Advocates,  or  prosecuting  at- 
orneys,  and  the  first  assizes  was  held  on  the  9th  of  May  ;  but  nothing 
was  done  till  the  following  day,  when  the  examination  of  witnesses 
commenced 

THE  SECRET  TESTIMONY. 

Several  parties  were  examined  before  the  doors  were  opened,  but 
the  whole  of  their  testimony  was  shortly  after  given  to  the  public. 
The  substance  of  the  statements  of  these  witnesses,  however,  had 
been  for  some  time  well  known  to  the  authorities,  having  been  ob- 
tained by  the  body  of  officers  detailed  to  ferret  out  the  guilty  parties, 
and  which  was  rather  inaptly  termed,  by  an  official  proclamation,  a 
"  Bureau  of  Military  Justice" — thereby  giving  our  enemies,  both  at 
home  and  abroad,  a  phrase  upon  which  they  could  play,  with  a  view 
to  rendering  the  administration  and  the  nation  odious.  But  the  intel- 
ligence of  the  American  people  is  such  as  to  enable  them  to  distin- 
s;uish  between  the  shadow  and  the  substance,  and  the  weapon  used 
fell  harmless  at  the  feet  of  the  public.  These  disclosures  were  made 
to  the  detectives  late  in  April,  or  early  in  May ;  and  on  the  3d  of  the 
latter  month,  the  President  issued  a  proclamation,  offering  rewards 
for  the  parties  implicated,  viz. :  For  Jeff.  Davis,  $100,000  ;  for  Jacob 
Thompson,  Clement  C.  Clay,  and  George  N.  Sanders,  $25,000  each ; 
and  for  "William  C.  Clery,  $10,000  ;  and  the  testimony  against  each 
of  the  parties  was  forwarded  to  Europe,  as  the  basis  of  a  demand  for 
their  extradition. 

This  proclamation  created  great  excitement  throughout  the  country 


OF    ABRAHAM    LINCOLN  167 

and  in  Canada,  where  some  of  the  parties  were ;  and  all,  except 
Davis  himself,  responded  in  some  manner,  denying  all  complicity 
with  Booth,  and  even  all  knowledge  of  the  existence  of  such  a  per- 
son. Had  not  this  last  named  assertion  been  made,  people  would 
have  had  more  confidence  in  the  denial  of  complicity  with  the  crime ; 
but  for  men  who  have  lived  in  cities  all  their  lives,  and  been,  a  great 
part  of  that  time,  in  public  life,  to  be  ignorant  of  the  existence  of  an 
actor  who  had  played  throughout  the  country  for  years,  and  a  mem- 
ber, too,  of  so  noted  a  family  as  the  Booths,  was  so  improbable,  that 
the  declaration  naturally  threw  suspicion  upon  their  whole  statement. 

At  length  the  evidence  was  made  public,  and  it  fully  justified  the 
action  of  the  government.  The  chief  witnesses  were  three  in  num- 
ber— Sandford  Conover,  James  B.  Merritt,  and  Richard  Montgomery 
all  of  whom  had  been  in  Canada  for  some  time,  and  who  were  well 
acquainted  with  the  rebel  emissaries  there.  Mr.  Conover  had  been  a 
clerk  in  the  War  Department  at  Richmond,  having  been  first  con- 
scripted in  the  army ;  and  while  there,  he  had  an  excellent  oppor- 
tunity to  obtain  information  regarding  the  secret  movements  and 
machinations  of  the  Davis  government ;  and  this  knowledge  he  used, 
after  his  escape,  to  obtain  news  for  publication — he  having  engaged 
as  correspondent  of  the  New  York  Tribune.  He  mingled  with  the 
rebel  emissaries,  and  from  his  intimate  knowledge  of  affairs  in  Rich- 
mond, he  succeeded  in  gaining  their  confidence,  and  becoming  ini- 
tiated into  their  schemes,  all  of  which  he  disclosed. 

He  testified  that,  on  the  6th  or  7th  of  April,  he  saw  Surratt,  a  son 
of  Mrs.  Surratt,  one  of  the  prisoners  at  the  bar,  with  Thompson, 
Sanders  and  Booth.  At  that  time  he  delivered  to  Thompson  in  his 
room,  in  presence  of  witnesses,  dispatches  from  Richmond,  to  Thomp- 
son, from  Benjamin  and  from  Jeff.  Davis  ;  the  latter  either  a  cipher 
dispatch  or  a  letter.  Previous  to  this,  Thompson  conversed  v  him 
(Conover)  upon  the  subject  of  a  plot  to  assassinate  President  _  rccoln 
and  his  Cabinet,  of  which  notice  was  given  before  the  assassination  in 
the  New  York  Tribune,  the  paper  for  which  he  corresponded.  He 
had  been  invited  by  Mr.  Thompson  to  participate  in  that  enterprise. 


168  LIFE    AND    MARTYRDOM 

When  Surratt  delivered  these  dispatches  from  Davis,  Thompson  laid 
his  hand  upon  the  papers  and  said,  referring  to  the  assassination  and 
to  the  assent  of  the  rebel  authorities,  "  This  makes  the  thing  all 
right."  The  dispatches  spoke  of  the  persons  to  be  assassinated-: 
Mr.  Lincoln,  Mr.  Johnson,  the  Secretary  of  War,  the  Secretary  of 
State,  Judge  Chase  and  Gen.  Grant.  Mr.  Thompson  said  on  that  oc- 
casion, or  on  the  day  before  that  interview,  that  the  assassination 
proposed  would  leave  the  government  of  the  United  States  entirely 
•without  a  head  ;  that  there  was  no  provision  in  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States  by  which  they  could  elect  another  President. 

Mr.  Thompson,  surprised  at  the  government  receiving  intelligence 
of  the  proposed  raid  on  Ogdensburg,  and  which  the  witness  himself 
secretly  conveyed,  remarked  to  him  in  a  conversation  :  "  We  'II  catch 
them  asleep  yet,"  and  to  witness  he  said  :  "  There  is  a  good  opportu- 
nity to  immortalize  yourself,  and  save  your  country,"  meaning  the 
confederacy ;  and  witness  asked  what  was  to  be  done.  He  said, 
"  some  of  our  boys  are  going  to  play  a  grand  joke  on  Abe  and  Andy,'' 
which  he  said  was  to  kill  them  ;  his  words  were  "  remove  them  from 
office,"  and  he  said  that  the  killing  of  a  tyrant  was  not  murder ;  that 
he  had  commissions  for  this  loorh  from  the  rebel  authorities,  and  con- 
ferred one  on  Booth,  or  would  confer  one ;  that  everybody  engaged  in 
this  enterprise  would  be  commissioned,  and  if  they  escaped  to  Canada 
they  could  not  be  successfully  claimed  under  the  extradition  treaty^ 
These  documents  were  in  blank,  signed  by  James  A.  Seddon,  the 
rebel  Secretary  of  War  ;  and  it  was  one  of  these  behind  which  the  St. 
Alban's  raiders  and  Lake  Erie  pirates  sought  to  shield  themselves; 
and  Jeff.  Davis,  as  is  well  known,  assumed  the  responsibility  of  their 
issuance. 

Cleary  remarked  to  Conover,  the  day  before  the  assassination,  that 
the  Union  people  were  then  rejoicing  over  the  fall  of  Richmond  ;  but 
that  in  a  day  or  two  the  "  laugh  would  be  on  the  other  side  of  tho 
face" — referring  to  the  assassination;  while  Sanders  asked  the  wit- 
ness if  he  knew  Booth,  and  inquired  if  there  was  no  danger  that  he 
"  might  make  a  fizzle  "  of  the  contemplated  murder. 


OP    ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  169 

There  was  a  proposition  before  the  agents  of  these  rebels  in  Canada 
to  destroy  the  Croton  Dam,  hy  lohich  the  city  of  New  York  is  supplied 
with  water.  It  was  supposed  it  would  not  only  damage  manufactures, 
but  distress  the  people  generally.  Mr.  Thompsoif  remarked  that 
there  was  plenty  of  force,  and  the  city  would  be  destroyed  by  a  gen- 
eral conflagration,  and,  if  they  had  thought  of  this  sooner,  they  might 
have  saved  a  great  many  necks.  This  was  said  a  few  weeks  before 
the  giving  of  his  testimony,  Thompson,  Sanders,  Castleman,  and 
General  Carroll  were  present.  They  had  arms  concealed,  and  a  large 
number  of  men  concealed,  in  Chicago — some  eight  hundred — for  the 
purpose  of  releasing  the  rebel  prisoners  there. 

The  Dr.  Blackburn  charged  at  Nassau  with  importing  yellow  fever 
into  this  country,  is  the  same  person  referred  to  as  intimate  with 
Thompson  in  Canada.  Witness  saw  in  company  withhim,  G.  N.  San- 
ders, Louis  Sanders,  Castleman,  Wm.  C.  Cleary,  Porterfield,  Captain 
Magruder,  and  a  number  of  other  rebels  of  less  note.  Blackburn  was 
recognized  there  as  an  agent  of  the  confederate  states,  and  so, repre- 
sented himself.  In  January  last  Dr.  Blackburn  employed  a  person 
named  Cameron  to  accompany  him,  for  the  purpose  of  introducing 
yellow  fever  into  the  Northern  cities,  to-wit :  the  cities  of  New  York, 
Philadelphia,  and  Washington.  He  went  from  Montreal  to  Bermuda, 
about  a  year  ago  last  fall,  for  the  purpose  of  getting  the  clothing  in- 
fected with  yellow  fever  ;  and  the  witness  saw  him,  after  his  return,  in 
Canada,  and  heard  Jacob  Thompson  and  Wm.  C.  Cleary  say  that  they 
favored  his  scheme,  and  were  much  interested  in  it.  This  was  last 
January. 

About  the  same  time  it  was  proposed  to  destroy  the  Croton  Dam, 
Dr.  Blackburn  proposed  to  poison  the  reservoirs,  and  made  a  calcu- 
lation of  the  amount  of  poisonous  matter  it  would  require  to  impreg- 
nate the  water,  so  as  to  mak-e  an  ordinary  draught  poisonous  and 
deadly. 

Witness  also  saw  Stewart  Robinson,  a  doctor  of  divinity,  residing 
in  Toronto,  and  who  once  edited  a  paper  in  Kentucky,  with  Thomp- 
son and  Blackburn ;  and  he  was  present  when  some  of  these  schemes 


170  LIFE    AND     MARTYRDOM 

were  discussed,  and  he  approved  them.  He  said  anything  that  could 
be  done  under  heaven  would  justify  them  under  the  circumstances. 
Three  or  four  days  after  the  assassination  of  the  President,  John  H. 
Surratt  was  in  "Canada,  with  Porterfield,  a  Southern  rebel,  now  de- 
clared a  British  subject  by  the  Canadian  Parliament.  Surratt  was 
suspected,  pursued,  and  had  decamped. 

The  second  witness,  Mr.  Merritt,  was  a  physician ;  and  in  October, 
1864,  was  in  Toronto,  where  he  met  Young,  a  Kentucky  rebel,  and 
also  Colonel  Steele,  from  the  same  state.  Young  said  to  witness ; 
"  We  have  something  of  much  more  importance  than  any  raids." 
He  said  it  was  determined  that  "Old  Abe"  should  never  be  inaugu- 
rated ;  that  they  had  plenty  of  friends  in  Washington,  and  called  Mr. 
Lincoln  "  a  damned  old  tyrant."  He  (Merritt)  afterward  saw  George 
N.  Sanders  and  Colonel  Steele  together.  Colonel  Steele  said,  "  the 
damned  old  tyrant  never  will  serve  another  term,  if  he  is  elected ;" 
and  Sanders  said,  at  the  same  time,  "  he  would  keep  himself  mighty 
close  if  he  did  serve  another  term."  In  Montreal,  in  February  last, 
Sanders  named  a  number  of  persons  ready  and  willing  to  remove  the 
President,  Vice-Preeident,  the  Cabinet,  and  some  of  the  leading  gen- 
erals of  the  United  States ;  and  he  added  that  there  was  any  amount 
of  money  to  accomplish  this  purpose — meaning  the  assassination  of 
these  persons.  He  then  read  a  letter,  which  he  said  he  had  received 
from  the  president  of  the  confederacy,  and  which  letter  justified  him 
in  making  any  arrangements  that  he  could,  to  accomplish  such  object. 
There  was  a  meeting  at  that  time  of  these  rebels,  and  a  letter  was 
read  to  them,  the  substance  of  which  was,  that  if  the  Southerners  in 
the  Canadas  and  the  states  were  willing  to  be  governed  by  such  a  ty- 
'•ant  as  Lincoln,  he  (Davis)  did  not  wish  to  recognize  them  as  friends, 
and  that  he  approved  of  the  proposition  to  assassinate  him.  Colonel 
Steele  read  the  letter,  also  Captain  Scott,  George  Young,  and  Hill,  all 
rebels.  This  meeting  was  about  the  middle  of  last  February.  At 
the  meeting,  Sanders  named  some  of  the  persons  who  were  to  accom- 
plish the  assassination,  and  among  them  he  named  J.  W.  Booth. 
Sanders  said  Booth  was  heart  and  soul  in  this  matter. 


OF     ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  171 

On  the  5th  and  6th  of  April  last  Harper  said  they  were  going  to 
the  states  to  "  kick  up  the  damnedest  row,  such  as  had  never  been 
heard  of;  "  he  added  that  if  witness  did  not  hear  of  the  death  of  Old 
Abe,  the  vice-president,  and  of  General  Dix,  in  less  than  ten  days, 
he  might  put  him  [Harper]  down  as  a  damned  fool.     That  was  on 
the  6th  of  April.     He  mentioned  the  name  of  Booth  as  one  of  their 
friends  there ;  he  said  they  had  plenty  of  friends  in  "Washington, 
and  that  fifteen   or  twenty  were  going.     He  had   started  to  go  to 
Washington    as    early  as  the   8th,   together   with   others.     Witness 
communicated  this  fact,  on  the  10th  of  April,  to  a  justice  of  the 
peace,  named  Davidson,  who,  after  the  assassination,  communicated 
it  to  the  government.     Harper  returned  to  Canada  after  the  assassin- 
ation.    Witness  had  a  conversation  with  C.  C.  Clay,  in  Toronto,  in 
February  last ;  he  spoke  of  the  letter  of  Davis,  which  Sanders  had 
exhibited ;  he  seemed  to  understand  the  character  of  the  letter  per- 
fectly, and  said  he  thought  the  end  would  justify  the  means.     Sur- 
ratt  was  pointed  out  to  him,  [Merritt]  in  Toronto  last  February ;  and 
he  saw  Booth  there  two  or  three  times,  and  sat  at  table  with  him  once 
at  the  St.  Lawrence,  with  Sanders,  Scott,  and  Steele;  they  were  con- 
versing with  Booth,  and  drinking  wine  with  him  at  Sanders'  expense. 
He  also  saw  Harrold  in  Canada,  in  Februar}'. 

Richard  Montgomery,  the  third  witness,  testified  that  Jacob 
Thompson  said  he  had  friends  of  the  confederacy  all  over  the 
northern  states,  willing  to  go  any  lengths,  and  that  he  could,  at  any 
time,  have  the  tyrant,  Lincoln,  and  any  of  his  advisers  put  out  of  the 
way ;  that  his  friends  would  not  consider  it  a  crime,  and  that  it 
would  be  done  for  the  cause  of  the  confederacy.  In  January,  1865, 
Thompson  said,  at  Montreal,  that  a  proposition  had  been  made  to 
him  to  rid  the  world  of  the  tyrants,  Lincoln,  Stanton,  Grant,  and 
some  others;  that  he  knew  the  men  who  made  it  were  bold,  daring, 
and  able  to  execute  any  thing  they  would  undertake  ;  that  he  was  in 
favor  of  the  proposition,  but  deferred  an  answer  until  he  had  con- 
sulted his  government,  at  Richmond;  that  he  was  then  only  waiting 
their  approval. 


172  LIFE     AND     MARTYRDOM 

Witness  had  been  in  Canada  since  the  assassination,  and,  a  few 
days  after  it,  met  Beverly  Tucker,  at  Montreal,  He  said  "  Mr.  Lin- 
coln deserved  his  death  long  ago  ;  "  that  "  it  was  a  pity  he  did  not 
die  long  ago  ;  "  and  that  it  was  too  bad  the  boys  had  not  been  allowed 
to  go  when  they  wanted  to. 

He  had  a  conversation  with  Win.  C.  Cleary,  and  told  him  what 
Mr.  Thompson  had  said  in  January.  He  said  that  Booth  was  one 
of  the  parties  to  whom  Thompson  had  referred ;  he  said,  also,  that  it 
was  too  bad  that  the  whole  work  had  not  been  done.  Thompson  said 
Cleary  was  a  very  close-mouthed  man.  Cleary  also  said  that  "  they 
had  better  look  out;  we  have  not  done  yet."  He  remarked  that  they 
would  never  be  conquered ;  would  never  give  up.  These  parties 
knew  they  were  suspected  of  the  assassination,  a  few  days  after,  and 
were  destroying  a  great  many  papers,  as  they  themselves  told  witnesses. 

Witness  acted  as  a  government  detective,  in  Canada,  and  assumed 
the  name  of  James  Thompson,  though  he  never  registered  it,  but 
always  some  other.  He  saw  the  cypher  (found  among  Booth's  effects), 
in  Mr.  Clay's  house,  at  St.  Catharine's,  in  the  summer  of  1S64.  He 
carried  dispatches  from  Canada  to  Gordonsville,  and  received  a  reply, 
which  he  carried  back ;  but  he  passed  through  Washington  each 
time,  and  delivered  the  dispatches  to  the  United  States  government. 

Aside  from  the  testimony  implicating  Jefferson  Davis  and  the 
Other  rebel  leaders,  letters  found  among  the  archives  at  Richmond, 
are  conclusive  upon  the  point.  Lieutenant  L.  W.  Alston,  who  dates 
his  epistle  at  White  Sulphur  Springs,  Virginia,  writes  to  Davis  :  "  I 
DOW  offer  you  my  services,  and  if  you  will  favor  me  in  my  designs,  I 
will  proceed,  as  soon  as  my  health  will  permit,  to  rid  my  country  of 
some  of  her  deadliest  enemies,  by  striking  at  the  very  heart's  blood 
of  those  who  seek  to  enchain  her  in  slavery.  I  consider  nothing 
dishonorable  having  such  a  tendency.  All  I  want  of  you  is  to  favor 
me  by  granting  the  necessary  papers,  etc.,  to  travel  on  while  in  the 
jurisdiction  of  this  government.  I  am  perfectly  familiar  witn  the 
north,  and  feel  confident  that  I  can  execute  any  thing  I  undertake." 

Upon  this  letter  was  the  following  indorsement :  "  1.  Brief  of  let- 


OP     ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  173 

ter,  without  signature.  2.  Respectfully  referred,  by  direction  of  the 
president,  to  honorable  secretary  of  war — Burton  N.  Harrison,  pri- 
vate secretary.  Received  November  29,  1864.  Record  Book  A.  G. 
O.,  December  8,  1864.  2.  A.  Gr.,  for  attention — by  order,  J.  A. 
Campbell,  A.  S.  W.' 

That  the  writer  of  this  letter  meant  assassination  is  a  matter  which 
will  not  admit  of  doubt;  and  that  it  was  seriously  considered,  botti 
by  Jeff  Davis  and  Mr.  Campbell  is  patent  from  the  above  indorse- 
ment. 

Another  letter,  from  W.  S.  Arthur,  dated  February  11,  1865,  and 
directed  to  Jeff  Davis,  was  shown,  proposing  to  burn  all  the  shipping 
leaving  northern  ports,  and  all  the  transports  of  the  government, 
regardless  of  the  loss  of  life  among  non-combattants ;  and  in  it  he 
referred  to  a  conversation  he  had  before  had  with  him  (Davis)  on  the 
same  subject,  in  which  the  practicability  of  the  plan  was  questioned, 
because  of  a  lack  of  adequate  material ;  and  the  writer  says  that  the 
difl&culty  referred  to  had  been  surmounted,  and  that  certain  chemical 
preparations  adequate  to  the  work  were  in  the  hands  of  one  Professor 
McCiilloch,  and  known  only  to  him  ;  and  upon  the  back  of  this  letter 
was  this  indorsement,  in  Jeff  Davis'  own  handwriting,  as  was  proven 
by  Messrs.  John  Potts,  Nathan  Rice,  and  others,  who  had  been 
clerks  in  the  war  department,  undei  President  Pierce,  and  when  Jeff 
Davis  was  in  the  cabinet  as  secretary  of  war. 

"  In  relation  to  plans  and  means  of  burning  the  enemy's  shipping, 
towns,  etc.,  preparations  are  in  the  hands  of  Professor  McCulloch, 
and  are  known  only  to  one  party.  Asks  the  president  to  have  an 
interview  with  General  Harris,  formerly  from  Missouri,  on  the  sub- 
ject. Secretary  of  state,  at  his  convenience,  please  see  General  Har- 
ris, and  learn  the  plan  he  has  for  overcoming  the  difficulty  heretofore 
experienced.     J.  D.,  20th  Feb.,  1865.     Received  Feb.  17,  1865." 

THE   DOORS   OPENED. 

On  Saturday,  May  13th,  the  commission  began  to  hear  testimony 
regarding  the  particular  acts  of  the  prisoners  at  the  bar,  and  the 


174  LIFE     AND     MARTYRDOM 

doors  were  thrown  open  to  the  public,  and  A.  "W.  Lee,  a  government 
detective,  was  called  to  the  stand.  He  stated  that  he  aided  in  exam- 
ing  the  room  engaged  by  Atzeroth  above  the  one  occupied  by  vice- 
president  Johnson  ;  and  that  he  found  a  pistol,  two  bowie  knives, 
some  clothing,  and  a  bank-book  containing  an  account,  between  J. 
Wilkes  Booth  and  the  Bank  of  Ontario,  for  8450. 

L.  A.  Weichman  testified  to  the  fact  that  he  had  known  John  H. 
Surratt  since  1859,  and  that  on  the  15th  of  January,  1865,  he  was  in 
company  with  him,  (Surratt,)  and  that  they  fell  in  company  with 
Dr.  Mudd  and  Booth,  both  of  whom  were  introduced  to  the  witness. 
They  all  went  to  the  National  Hotel  together,  and  soon  Booth,  Sur- 
ratt, and  Mudd  asked  to  be  excused  for  a  little  time,  and  they  went 
out  into  the  hall,  where  they  held  an  earnest  conversation  together  ; 
and  on  returning,  they  said  that  Booth  had  been  talking  of  buying 
Mudd's  farm. 

Witness  also  went  to  the  theater,  on  the  night  Booth  played  Pes- 
cara,  in  the  Apostate  ;  and,  after  the  piece  had  been  concluded,  he, 
Surratt,  Booth,  Atzeroth,  and  Harrold,  walked  around  together;  and 
once  the  last  three  dropped  behind  and  went  into  a  saloon,  where 
they  had  a  confidential  conversation. 

He  had  frequently  driven  Mrs.  Surratt  in  her  carriage  to  Surratts- 
ville,  having  done  so  on  the  11th,  and  also  on  the  day  of  the  assassi- 
nation; and  on  the  latter  occasion  they  reached  Lloyd's  tavern  about 
half  past  four  and  remained  till  six.  He  boarded  with  Mrs.  Surratt, 
and  had  done  so  since  December,  1864;  and  during  that  time,  her 
house  was  a  rendezvous  for  Payne,  Booth,  Atzeroth,  Dr.  Mudd,  and 
others  implicated  in  the  assassination  ;  and  they  were  continually 
holding  private  interviews.  Payne  came  to  the  house  first,  in  January, 
and  gave  the  name  of  Wood;  and  immediately  after  introducing  him- 
self to  Mrs.  Surratt,  was  taken  into  her  confidence  and  kept  for  two 
or  three  days  at  her  house. 

The  cross-examination  of  this  witness  was  very  severe,  but  the  in- 
genuity of  counsel  failed  to  elicit  anything  favorable  to  their  clients, 


OP    ABRAHAM    LINGO*   N.  175 

or  to  cause  him  to  make  contradictory  statements  regarding  the  de- 
tails he  had  given  during  the  examination  in  chief. 

Robert  R.  Jones,  clerk  of  the  Kirkwood  house,  testified  to  the  fact 
that  Atzeroth  had  taken  a  room  of  him  on  the  14th  of  April — the  day 
of  the  assassination;  but  other  than  that  he  knew  nothing  calculated 
to  throw  any  light  on  the  subject. 

Mr.  Lloyd,  a  resident  of  Surrattsville,  was  then  called,  and  stated 
that  he  knew  Surratt,  Harrold  and  Atzeroth,  and  that  some  six  weeka 
before  the  assassination,  they  came  to  his  house  and  left  two  carbines 
with  ammunition  and  a  rope  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  long;  and  that 
though  he  objected  to  receiving  the  weapons,  he  finally  agreed  to  do 
so,  and  they  were  concealed  under  a  joist.  On  the  Monday  preced- 
ing the  assassination,  Mrs.  Surratt  came  to  his  house  and  told  him  to 
have  the  carbines  ready,  as  they  would  be  wanted  soon ;  and  about 
five  o'clock  of  the  day  of  the  assassination,  she  again  called,  and  in- 
formed him  they  would  be  called  for  that  night;  and  Harrold  and 
Booth  did  call  for  them — though  the  latter,  who  was  a  stranger  to 
the  witness,  did  not  go  into  the  house.  They,  however,  only  took  one 
carbine,  as  Booth  said  that  his  leg  was  broken,  and  he  could  not  carry 
his.  As  they  were  about  to  leave.  Booth  said:  "I  will  tell  you  some 
news ;  I  am  pretty  certain  we  have  assassinated  the  President  and  Sec- 
retary Seward." 

These  facts  were  not  immediately  detailed  to  the  authorities;  indeed 
Lloyd  had  evaded  the  subject  when  questioned;  but  finally  discover- 
ing that  he  must  make  a  full  and  complete  avowal,  he  did  so,  on  the 
Saturday  week  following  the  murder. 

On  Monday,  May  15,  Maty  Van  Tine  testified  that  Arnold  and 
O'Laughlin  had  rooms  at  her  house,  and  that  Booth  frequently  came 
there  to  see  them — sometimes  by  day,  and  sometimes  by  night;  and 
that  he,  on  many  occasions,  manifested  great  anxiety  when  they  were 
absent,  and  often  he  left  a  note  for  them,  or  requested  her  to  tell  them 
jc  call  on  him  "at  the  stable."  She,  however,  knew  nothing  as  to 
matters  which  passed  between  them ;  but  of  their  intimacy,  she  was  able 
to  form  an  estimate  from  observioir  their  manner  toward  each  other. 


176  LIFE    AND     MARTYRDOM 

Henry  WilliarijS,  a  colored  man,  stated  that  he  had  carried  letters 
from  Booth  to  both  Arnold  and  O'Laughlin;  and  Mr.  J.  P.  Early, 
the  next  witness,  came  down  on  the  train  from  Baltimore,  the  day 
before  the  assassination,  with  the  latter;  and  he  also  testifies  that  he 
(0'Lau^hliu),  returned  to  Baltimore  on  the  afternoon  of  Saturday, 
and  that  in  the  meantime  he  had  at  least  one  consultation  with  Booth; 
and  this  was  corroborated  by  statements  made  by  the  two  succeeding 
witnesses — Lieut.  Henderson,  and  Mr.  Samuel  R.  J.  Strong. 

David  Stanton  was  then  called,  and  identified  O'Laughlin  as  the 
man  he  had  seen  lurking  around  the  office  of  the  secretary  of  war, 
and  whom  he  had  ordered  away,  supposing  him  at  the  time  to  be  ia- 
toxicated.  The  prisoner  had  inquired  for  the  secretary,  but  for  no 
one  else.  Mr.  D.  C.  Reed  then  took  the  stand,  and  testified  to  the  fact 
that  John  H.  Surratt  was  in  Washington  on  the  day  of  the  assassina- 
tion; but  as  to  his  part  in  the  affair,  if  he  took  any,  he  knew  nothing 

The  first  witness  called  on  Tuesday,  the  16th,  was  John  Barlow, 
generally  known  around  the  theater  as  "peanuts,''  and  who  had  had 
charge  of  Booth's  horse.  He  testified  that  on  the  afternoon  before 
the  assassination.  Booth  rode  up  to  the  rear  of  the  theater  and  called 
for  Spangler,  who  went  out  and  the  two  had  an  interview;  and  that 
at  night,  between  nine  and  ten  o'clock.  Booth  again  came  up;  Spangler 
went  out  and  called  him  (witness),  to  hold  the  animal,  which  he  did, 
though  he  at  first  objected,  as  he  had  other  business.  Spangler,  how- 
ever, said:  "If  there  is  any  blame,  leave  it  to  me;"  and  he  accord- 
ingly did  as  he  was  requested.  He  had  been  in  the  president's  box 
that  day  with  Spangler,  while  the  latter  was  taking  down  the  partition; 
and  he  heard  him  (Spangler),  cursing  tjie  president  and  Gen.  Grant; 
but  no  threats  were  made  of  which  he  had  any  recollection. 

He  heard  the  crack  of  the  pistol,  and  immediately  Booth  ran  out, 
and  knocked  him  (witness),  down  with  the  handle  of  a  bowie  knife, 
and  then  rode  off.  The  statement  that  Booth  and  Spangler  held  this 
interview  was  confirmed  by  the  colored  woman  who  resided  in  the 
rear  of  the  theater,  and  who  saw  the  parties  both  in  the  day  time  and 
at  nieht. 


OP    ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  177 

Col.  William  A.  Browning  made  a  statement  as  to  the  attempt  of 
Booth  to  obtain  an  interview  with  vice-president  Johnson,  and  he  was 
followed  on  the  stand  by  a  Mr.  John  C.  Hatton,  who  testified  that  he 
saw  O'Laughlin  at  the  residence  of  Secretary  Stanton  on  the  night 
before  the  murder,  and  that  he  inquired  for  Gen.  Grant,  whom  he 
wished  to  see. 

President  Lincoln's  family  physician,  Dr.  Kobert  King  Stone,  was 
next  called,  but  his  testimony  only  related  lothe  nature  of  the  wound 
inflicted  and  the  instrument  employed;  facts  which  were  already  well 
known  to  the  public,  but  which  were  necessary  to  meet  all  the  techni- 
calities of  a  prosecution. 

Sergeant  Silas  D.  Cobb,  who  had  charge  of  the  guard  at  the  bridge, 
detailed  the  circumstances  of  Booth  and  his  companion  passing  him 
The  former  gave  his  proper  name  and  the  latter  called  himself  Smi>-b. 
The  sergeant  then  took  a  look  at  the  prisoners  at  the  bar,  but  could 
recognize  none  of  them  as  the  man.  He  detained  them  a  short  time, 
but  as  they  said  they  lived  down  below,  and  pleaded  ignorance  of  the 
existence  of  the  guard,  he  allowed  them  to  pass.  They  did  not  come 
up  together,  but  there  were  some  ten  minutes  intervening  between  the 
passage  of  the  two.  A  third  one  came,  but  as  his  answers  were  not 
satisfactory,  he  was  turned  back.  Other  witnesses  also  stated  that 
they  had  seen  the  same  parties  going  out  on  the  Marlboro  road. 

.On  the  18th  the  case  of  Dr.  Mudd  was  opened.  Mr.  William  Wil- 
liams, who  was  aiding  in  the  pursuit  of  the  assassins,  stated  that  he 
went  to  the  doctor's  house  and  questioned  him  as  to  two  strangers — • 
one  with  a  broken  leg — having  been  that  way,  and  he  emphatically 
denied  having  seen  them.  This  was  on  the  Tuesday  following  the 
assassination,  and  on  the  next  Friday,  the  witness  again  went  to  the 
dcotor's  place  with  a  party  who  had  orders  to  arrest  him;  and  on  that 
day,  he  (Mudd),  stated  that  two  men  had  been  there,  but  they  were 
not  Booth  and  Harrold,  he  averred;  for,  he  added,  he  knew  the 
former  well,  and  that  he  was  not  the  man.  On  going  to  the  house,  a 
boot  was  found  there  with  the  name  "J.  Wilkes  Booth,"  inside;  and 
this,  Mrs.  Mudd  said,  was  left  by  one  of  the  men.     The  doctor  then 


178  LIFE     AND     MARTYRDOM 

stated  to  the  witness  that  he  had  set  the  leg  of  the  man  who  had  worn 
the  boot. 

On  being  further  questioned,  he  added  that  the  men  left  his  house 
between  three  and  four  o'clock  of  Saturday,  and  that  they  had  reached 
it  about  daylight  in  the  morning,  so  that  they  must  have  remained 
with  him  at  least  ten  hours. 

The  testimony  of  this  witness  was  fully  corroborated,  in  all  its 
general  features,  by  the  next  one  called — a  Mr.  Simon  Gavaean,  who 
was  well  acquainted  with  the  doctor  and  was  one  of  the  arresting 
party. 

Several  hours  of  the  session  of  the  court  was  then  consumed  in  tak- 
ing the  testimony  of  Lieut.  Col.  Conger,  Boston  Corbett,  and  others, 
relative  to  the  pursuit  and  capture  of  Harrold,  and  of  the  death  of 
Booth ;  but  the  circumstances  attending  these  have  already  been 
detailed  in  another  part  of  this  volume,  and  it  is  unnecessary  to 
repeat  them  here.  Having  concluded  this  subject,  however,  the  case 
of  Atzeroth  came  up  again. 

John  Fletcher,  foreman  at  Naylor's  livery  stable,  testified  that  on 
the  14th  of  April,  Atzeroth  came  to  him,  riding  a  bay  horse,  which 
he  desired  to  have  cared  for  till  evening;  and  at  half  past  six,  P.  M., 
he  called  for  it;  but  after  riding  about  a  short  time,  he  returned  and 
had  the  animal  put  up  till  ten,  when  he  again  took  it  away ;  but 
before  starting,  he  told  the  witness  that  he  might  hear  of  something 
before  morning  which  would  create  a  tremendous  sensation,  but  as  he 
appeared  a  little  drunk,  nothing  was  thought  of  the  remark.  Wit- 
ness had  also  hired  a  horse  to  Harrold,  which  had  been  kept  over 
time,  and  he  accordingly  went  out  to  look  if  he  could  get  any  trace 
of  the  animal ;  and  while  walking  along,  saw  Harrold  riding  it;  but 
the  latter,  on  seeing  him,  dashed  off  down  another  street.  Atzeroth 
rode  around  for  a  long  time,  up  and  down  different  streets,  acting 
very. curiously  all  the  time. 

John  Greenwalt,  keeper  of  the  Pennsylvania  house,  where  Atze- 
roth was  stopping  for  a  time,  testified  to  the  frequent  interviews  be- 
tween him  and  Booth ;  the  latter  usually  calling  the  former  out  of 


OF     ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  179 

the  house.  They  frequently  stood  on  the  pavement  in  front  of  the 
door,  but  sometimes  went  to  the  livery  stable.  On  or  about  the  1st 
of  April,  Atzeroth  remarked  to  witness  that  he  was  pretty  nearly 
"broke,"  but  that  he  soon  expected  to  get  gold  enough  to  last  him 
all  his  life.  He  left  the  house  on  the  Wednesday  preceding  the 
assassination,  and  returned  in  the  latter  part  of  the  night  of  that 
event,  and  asked  for  a  room.  He  was  accompanied  by  another  man, 
and  both  left  early  next  morning;  but  they  did  not  go  together. 
The  man  who  came  with  Atzeroth  registered  as  Sam  Thurston,  but 
witness  could  not  say  whether  he  was  now  on  the  prisoners  bench  or 
not. 

Booth,  before  he  died,  said  that  he  had  prepared  a  long  article  for 
the  National  Inteligencer,  giving  his  reasons  for  the  assassination,  and 
that  he  had  sent  it  to  that  paper  ;  and  Mr.  Coyle,  one  of  the  editors, 
was  called,  but  testified  that  nothing  of  the  kind  had  ever  been 
received. 

Hezekiah  Metz,  was  then  put  upon  the  stand,  and  testified  that 
Atzeroth  had  eaten  dinner  at  his  house,  in  Montgomery  county,  Md., 
on  the  Sunday  following  the  assassination  ;  and  that  while  there,  stated 
that  he  had  heard  General  Grant  was  shot  on  the  cars,  and  added  : 
"  If  he  was  followed  by  the  men  who  was  to  have  followed  him,  it 
was  certainly  so." 

Sergeant  G.  W.  Gunnell,  the  officer  who  made  the  arrest,  stated  that 
Atzeroth,  for  a  long  time  denied  his  name,  and  that  he  had  been  at 
Washington  lately.  The  remainder  of  the  testimony  was  not  of  great 
importance,  and  only  related  to  the  discovery  of  the  horse  rode  by 
Harrold. 

On  Thursday,  May  18,  Mr.  Weichman  was  recalled,  and  a  telegram 
from  J.  Wilkes  Booth  shown  him,  and  which  he  had  received  from 
New  York,  on  the  23d  of  March,  in  these  words  :  "  Tell  John  to 
telegraph  number  and  street  at  once."  This  was  shown  to  John  H. 
Surratt,  the  party  referred  to,  when  witness  asked  him  what  it  meant ; 
but  he  only  received  in  reply,  the  remark  :  "  Do  n't  be  so  d — d 
inquisitive.''     Mr.  W.  then  detailed  a  scene  he  witnessed  at  the  house 


180  LIFE     AND     MARTYRDOM 

of  Mrs.  Surratt,  soon  after  the  4th  of  March :  "  When  I  returned 
from  my  office  one  day  at  four  and  a-half  o'clock,  and  went  to  my 
room,  I  rang  the  bell  for  Dan,  the  negro  servant,  and  in  reply  to  an 
inquiry  which  I  addressed  to  him,  he  told  me  that  John  had  ridden 
out  about  two  and  a  half  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  with  six  others, 
on  horseback ;  on  going  down  stairs  I  found  Mrs.  Surratt  weeping 
bitterly,  and  asked  her  what  was  the  matter  ;  she  said  to  me,  "  Go 
down  and  make  the  best  of  your  dinner,  John  has  gone  away  ;"  about 
six  and  a  half  o'clock  John  Surratt  came  back  and  was  very  much 
excited,  in  fact,  he  rushed  frantically  into  the  room ;  he  had  one  of 
Sharp's  small,  six-barreled  revolvers  in  his  hand  :  I  said,  "  John,  why 
are  you  so  much  excited  ?"  he  replied,  "  I  will  shoot  any  man  who 
comes  into  this  room  ;  my  hopes  are  gone  and  my  prospects  blighted  ; 
I  want  something  to  do  :  can  you  get  me  a  clerkship?"  The  prisoner, 
Payne,  came  into  the  room ;  about  fifteen  minutes  afterward  Booth 
came  into  the  room  ;  he  was  so  much  excited  that  he  walked  very 
frantically  around  the  room  several  times  without  noticing  me  ;  he 
had  a  whip  in  his  hand ;  the  three  then  went  up  into  the  second  story, 
and  they  must  have  remained  there  together  about  twenty  minutes ; 
subsequently  I  asked  Surratt  where  he  had  left  Payne ;  he  said 
Payne  had  gone  to  Baltimore ;  I  asked  him  where  Booth  had  gone; 
he  said  to  New  York." 

The  witness  was  closely  cross-examined,  when  he  stated  that  he 
had  had  suspicions  that  all  was  not  right,  and  that  these  he  had  com- 
municated to  the  authorities,  through  Captain  Grleason,  of  the  war 
department ;  though  that  official,  while  he  believed  they  were  doing 
something  illegitimate,  laughed  at  the  idea  of  an  attack  on  the  presi- 
dent. 

A  number  of  witnesses  were  here  called,  and  testified  to  having 
seen  Atzeroth,  on  the  night  of  the  assassination,  and  to  the  identity  of 
a  knife  belonging  to  him,  which  had  been  found  on  the  street ;  after 
which  Abraham  B.  Oliver,  who  had  examined  the  president's  box  at 
the  theatre,  was  called.  He  testified  to  the  incision  made  in  the  door, 
BO  as  to  allow  a  brace  against  it,  to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  inmates; 


OP     ABRAHAM   LINCOLN.  181 

and  also  to  the  finding  of  a  small  hole,  cut  with  a  sharp  instrument^ 
as  if  to  allow  a  man  to  look  through.  All  had  been  carefully  done, 
and  all  rubbish  removed. 

Major  Rathbone,  who  was  in  the  president's  box,  at  the  time  of  tho 
assassination,  stated  that  when  he  attempted  to  go  out,  he  found  the 
outer  door  actually  barred  ;  and  witness  only  removed  it  with  difficulty. 

A  letter,  found  in  Booth's  trunk  was  then  produced,  and  identified 
as  in  the  handwriting  of  Arnold,  and  was  signed  "  Sam,"  and  referred 
to  the  assassination  plot ;  that  the  writer  urged  him  to  desist,  till  he 
heard  again  from  Richmond.  Mr.  Ethan  J.  Hooper,  who  arrested 
Arnold,  was  then  called,  and  detailed  a  confession  made  by  the  prisoner, 
in  which  he  acknowledged  complicity  with  a  plot  to  capture  president 
Lincoln,  and  carry  him  away  to  Richmond  ;  and  he  acknowledged  the 
authorship  of  the  letter  already  referred  to.  A  telegram  from  Booth 
to  O'Laughlin,  requesting  "  Sam  "  to  come  down  at  once,  and  which 
was  dated  March  27,  was  then  produced. 

Mr.  Thomas,  a  neighbor  of  Dr.  Mudd,  was  now  called  in,  and  tes- 
tified to  having  had  a  conversation  with  the  doctor,  in  which  the  lat- 
ter predicted  the  assassination  of  the  president,  and  the  whole  cabi- 
net, within  a  few  weeks  from  that  date,  which  was  in  ^arch. 

On  the  19th  all  the  reported  testimony  taken,  related  to  Payne. 
William  H.  Wells,  Mr.  Seward's  colored  servant,  identified  him,  as 
having  come  to  the  door  of  the  secretary's  house,  with  something 
which  he  said  was  a  prescription  from  Dr.  Verdin,  the  attending  phy- 
sician ;  and  accordingly,  as  he  insisted  on  going  up  stairs,  the  witness 
walked  up  before  him.  Payne  met  Mr.  Frederick  Seward  on  the  steps 
and  had  some  conversation  with  him  in  the  hall.  He  said  to  Mr.  F. 
Seward  he  wanted  to  see  W.  H.  Seward.  Mr.  F.  Seward  told  him  he 
could  not  see  him,  as  his  father  was  asleep  at  ths  time,  and  to  give 
him  the  medicine  and  he  would  take  it  to  his  father.  That  would  not 
do.  He  must  see  him.  Mr.  Frederick  said,  you  can  not  see  him. 
He  kept  on  saying  he  must  see  him.  Mr.  Frederick  said,  "  I  am  Mr. 
Seward's  son.  If  you  can't  leave  it  with  me,  you  can't  leave  it  at 
all."     He  had  a  little  more  talk,  still  holding  his  package.     Mr.  V 


1^2  LIFE     AND     MARTYRDOM 

would  not  let  hiiu  see  him  any  way.  He  started  toward  the  steps  as 
if  to  go  down.  Witness  also  started  down,  but  had  not  more  than 
turned  around,  when  Payne  jumped  back,  and  struck  Frederick,  at 
which  time  the  witness  raised  an  alarm,  at  the  front  door,  and  soon 
afterward  saw  the  intruder  run  out,  to  get  his  horse. 

Sero-eant  G.  F.  Robinson,  one  of  the  nurses  to  the  secretary,  stated 
that  he  heard  the  scuffle,  and  ran  out  to  see  what  was  the  matter, 
when  Payne  struck  witness,  and  knocked  him  down,  and  then  rushed 
to  the  secretary's  bed,  and  struck  him ;  at  which  time  a  man  came 
into  the  room,  and  the  two  clutched  the  desperado,  and  got  him  to 
the  door,  when  he  succeeded  in  escaping.  Witness  was  stabbed  in 
the  forehead,  and  Secretary  Seward  was  cut  twice.  He  identified 
Payne  as  the  attempted  assassin. 

Major  Seward,  a  son  of  the  secretary,  also  identified  the  person,  as 
the  assailant  of  his  father.  He  had  retired  about  eleven  o'clock,  and 
a  short  time  after  was  aroused  by  the  screams  of  his  sistet.  He 
arose  and  seized  the  man,  who  struck  witness  with  a  decanter,  which 
he  took  from  the  table,  and  made  use  of  the  words,  "  I  am  mad^I 
am  mad." 

Colonel  Morga,A  then  detailed  the  circumstances  relating  to  Payne's 
arrest.  The  house  of  Mrs.  Surratt  had  been  taken  possession  of  by 
detectives,  and  on  the  17th  of  April,  Payne  came  in,  and  on  seeing 
the  officers,  remarked :  "  I  must  be  mistaken?"  The  witness  then 
inquired  who  he  would  see,  and  he  replied  Mrs.  Surratt;  and  he  was 
informed  that  he  was  at  the  right  place.  He  said  he  was  from  the 
south,  and  showed  an  oath  of  allegiance  he  had  taken.  He  said  he 
was  a  poor  man,  and  Mrs.  S.  had  employed  him  to  do  some  work,  in 
clearing  out  a  sink.  The  officers,  however,  soon  saw  that  his  old 
clothes  were  a  mere  disguise ;  that  his  hands  were  white,  and  soft ; 
that  his  language  betokened  a  well  educated  man,  and  not  the  illiterate 
boor  he  pretended  to  be — he  having  stated  that  he  could  not  read. 
He  was  then  taken  to  the  provost  marshal's  office  and  identified  as 
the  assailant  of  the  Secretary  of  State. 

Wlien  Major  Smith  called  on  Mrs.  Surratt,  he  asked  her  if  she 


OP  ABRAHAM   LINCOLN.  183 

knew  Payne ;  and  she  said,  raising  her  right  hand  "  before  God  I 
don't  know  this  man,  and  have  never  seen  him."  Mrs.  Surratt  did 
not  even  ask  for  what  she  was  arrested.  She  expressed  no  surprise 
or  feeling  at  all. 

On  Saturday,  May  20,  Assistant  Secretary  of  "War,  Charles  A.  Dana, 
was  placed  on  the  stand,  to  reveal  the  contents  of  a  letter  in  cypher, 
found  in  Booth's  trunk  ;  Major  Eckert  was  called  for  the  same  pur- 
pose. They  had  the  key  to  the  Richmond  cypher,  and  read  the  cor- 
respondence as  follows  : 

«  October,  13,  1864. 

"  We  again  urge  the  necessity  of  our  gaining  immediate  advan- 
tages. Strain  every  nerve  for  victory.  We  now  look  upon  the  re- 
election of  Lincoln  in  November  as  almost  certain,  and  we  need  to 
whip  his  hirelings  to  prevent  it.  Besides,  with  Lincoln  re-elected, 
and  his  armies  victorious,  we  need  not  hope  even  for  recognition, 
much  less  the  help  mentioned  in  our  last.  Halcombe  will  explain 
this.  Those  figures  of  the  Yankee  armies  are  correct  to  a  unit. 
Your  friend  shall  immediately  be  set  to  work  as  you  direct." 
Y  "  October  19,  1864. 

"  Your  letter  of  the  13th  instant  is  at  hand.  There  is  yet  time 
enough  to  colonize  many  voters  before  November.  A  blow  will 
shortly  be  stricken  here.  It  is  not  quite  time.  General  Longstreet 
is  to  attack  Sheridan  without  delay,  and  then  move  north  as  far  as 
practicable  toward  unprotected  points.  This  will  be  made  instead  of 
the  movement  before  mentioned.  He  will  endeavor  to  assist  the  re- 
publicans in  collecting  their  ballots.     Be  watchful  and  assist  him." 

The  witness  stated  that  the  note  of  the  13th  came  from  Canada, 
and  the  other  from  Richmond. 

Robert  J.  Campbell,  of  the  Ontario  Bank  of  Montreal,  testified 
that  Jacob  Thompson  had  a  credit  in  that  bank,  of  $649,873.23 ;  and 
that  there  was  still  then  due  him  $176.30 ;  and  that  he  had  recently 
drawn  out  large  sums,  and  invested  them  either  in  foreign  exchange 
or  United  States  currency.  He  had  invested  $100,000  in  foreign  ex- 
change at  one  time. 


184  LIFE    AND     MARTYRDOM 

On  Monday,  May  22d,  I.  S.  McPhail  testified  that  O'Laughlin  had 
been  in  the  rebel  army  a  year,  but  that  he  had  left  it  in  1863,  coming  in 
voluntarily,  and  taking  the  oath  of  allegiance  on  the  16th  of  January 
of  that  year. 

Dr.  Verdi  gave  a  detailed  account  of  the  nature  of  the  wounds 
inflicted  upon  Secretary  Seward  and  other  parties  about  his  house  on 
the  night  of  the  14th. 

Mr.  James  Maddox,  an  attache  of  Ford's  theater,  testified  that 
Spangler  never  wore  a  moustache ;  which  seemed  to  greatly  relieve 
that  prisoner,  as  several  of  the  witnesses  had  sworn  that  they  had 
seen  a  party  in  company  with,  and  aiding  Booth  to  escape,  who  had 
a  moustache ;  and  they  all  pointed  to  Spangler  as  the  man. 

On  the  23d  little  was  done,  except  to  make  an  agreement  that 
after  the  testimony  for  the  defense  had  been  introduced,  the  Govern- 
ment might  introduce  witnesses  to  establish  the  fact  of  a  general 
conspiracy,  provided  it  had  no  direct  bearing  on  the  case  of  either  of 
the  prisoners  at  the  bar.  The  commission  then  adjourned  over  a  day, 
on  account  of  the  grand  review  then  in  progress. 

On  Friday,  May  25th,  several  colored  persons — some  of  them  late 
slaves  of  Dr.  Mudd — testified  that  they  had  heard  the  doctor  call 
President  Lincoln  many  hard  names ;  and  one  of  them  testified  to 
having  heard  a  man  named  Gurner,  after  the  assassination,  remark 
that  "Old  Lincoln  ought  to  have  been  dead  long  ago,"  and  Mudd 
responded  that  he  did  not  differ  from  him. 

TESTIMONY  FOR  THE  DEFENSE. 

Rev.  Father  Upthiel  said  that  he  had  known  Mrs.  Surratt  a  long 
while,  and  never  had  heard  aught  against  her;  and  other  clergymen 
of  her  acquaintance  corroborated  the  statement;  none  of  tbem  knew 
anything  of  her  connection  with  the  conspiracy.  Two  other  wit- 
nesses— Mrs.  Hallahan  and  Mrs.  Howard — though  called  for  Mrs. 
Surratt,  did  not  aid  her  materially.  The  former  said  she  had  often 
seen  Payne  at  her  house,  under  the  assumed  name  of  Wood  ;  and 
tliat  Mrs.  Surratt  asserted  that  he  was  a  Baptist  minister.     They  also 


OP    ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  185 

saw  Booth  there.  B.  F.  Gwynne,  another  witness,  stated  that,  on  the 
day  of  the  assassination,  Lloyd  had  been  drinking  considerably,  and 
the  counsel  for  the  defense  attempted  to  break  the  force  of  his  testi- 
mony by  that  circumstance. 

George  Getting,  the  officer  who  arrested  Lloyd,  testified  that  the 
prisoner  at  first  denied  all  knowledge  of  the  matter,  but  afterward  ex- 
claimed :  "0,  my  God !  if  I  should  make  a  confession  they  would 
murder  me  ;"  and  on  witness  asking  who  would  murder  him,  he  re- 
plied that  he  referred  to  the  parties  in  the  conspiracy.  He  went  on 
to  relate  substantially  the  same  story  as  that  to  which  he  had  sworn 
before  the  court. 

The  case  of  O'Laughlin  was  then  called,  and  E..  J.  Connelly,  Mr. 
Murphy,  and  two  or  three  others  testified  to  being  with  the  prisoner 
at  the  time  he  was  represented  as  having  been  at  the  residence  of  the 
Secretary  of  War ;  and  that  he  was  not  there  at  all. 

Mr.  Ralette  testified  that  he  was  the  agent  of  a  cracker  bakery  in 
New  York.  He  had  known  O'Laughlin  two  years,  was  with  him  on 
the  13th  of  April,  with  others,  until  12  o'clock.  He  saw  nothing  un- 
usual in  his  behavior.  He  was  with  him  on  the  14th,  when  he  re- 
ceived the  news  of  the  President's  murder. 

Mr.  Purdy  testified  that  he  was  the  superintendent  of  Rumman'a 
Hotel.  O'Laughlin  was  there  on  the  night  of  the  13th  of  April,  with 
a  party  of  friends.  He  was  there  when  they  closed  at  12  o'clock. 
They  were  there  on  the  night  of  the  14th,  when  they  received  the 
news  of  the  President's  murder.  O'Laughlin  seemed  surprised,  and 
said  he  had  been  in  Booth's  company,  and  people  might  think  he  had 
something  to  do  with  it. 

It  was  further  stated  that,  as  soon  as  he  learned  of  the  suspiciona 
against  him,  he  went  to  give  himself  up  to  the  authorities. 

Other  testimony  was  introduced  for  Mrs.  Surratt,  but  it  was  all  of 
a  negative  character ;  the  witnesses  had  never  known  anything  wrong 
about  her — that  was  all  they  could  say. 

In  reference  to  the  question  of  complicity  of  the  rebel  authorities 
in  the  murder,  several  witnesses  were  examined. 


186  LIFE    AND    MARTYRDOM 

Henry  Finiregan  testified  that  he  was  in  Montreal  in  February. 
Knew  Sanders,  Cleary,  and  others  of  that  circle,  by  sight.  Saw  them 
at  the  St.  Lawrence  Hall  and  various  public  places.  Did  not  see 
Jacob  Thompson  or  Beverly  Tucker,  On  the  evening  of  the  14th  or 
15th  of  February,  he  heard  Cleary  say  to  Sanders:  "I  suppose  they 
are  getting  ready  for  the  inauguration  of  Lincoln  next  month." 
Sanders  said :  "  Yes ;  but  if  the  boys  only  have  luck,  Lincoln  will 
not  trouble  them  much  longer."  Cleary  said  :  "  Is  everything  well?" 
Sanders  replied  :  "  0,  yes  ;  Booth  is  bossing  the  job."  Witness  con- 
sidered it,  at  the  time,  a  piece  of  bragadocio.  He  communicated  it 
to  the  Government  a  few  days  ago.     He  did  not  know  John  Surratt. 

Dr.  John  C.  Thomas,  brother  of  the  witness  who  stated  that  he  had 
heard  Dr.  Mudd  predict  in  March  that  the  President  and  Cabinet 
would  soon  be  assassinated,  was  called  for  the  defense,  and  testified 
that  his  brother  was  at  times  a  little  out  of  his  mind  ;  but  that  re- 
cently he  had  been  better,  and  had  had  no  attacks  of  insanity. 

On  the  27th  Colonel  Nevins  testified  to  the  fact,  that  on  the  12tli 
of  April,  he  was  at  the  Kirkwood  House,  in  Washington,  and  that 
Atzeroth  came  to  him,  and  made  particular  inquiry  as  the  where- 
abouts of  Vice-President  Johnson's  room  ;  and  on  being  told  that 
that  oflScial  was  then  dining,  he  looked  into  the  room,  scrutinizing 
Mr.  Johnson  closely. 

Considerable  other  testimony  of  an  irrelevant  or  unimportant  na- 
ture was  then  taken,  when  the  court  adjourned. 

On  the  29th  considerable  testimony  was  taken  in  reference  to  the 
scheme  of  Dr.  Blackburn,  to  introduce  yellow  fever  into  Northern 
cities ;  and  the  connection  of  Jeif  Davis  and  the  rebel  agents  in 
Canada  was  fully  established.  After  this,  a  Dr.  George  E.  Mudd,  a 
third  cousin  of  the  prisoner,  gave  an  important  statement  in  favor 
of  his  relative,  who,  it  appeared,  actually  desired  the  witness  to  in- 
form the  military  authorities,  the  next  day,  of  the  circumstances  of 
the  arrival  and  departure  of  Booth  and  Harrold  from  his  (the  pris- 
oner's) house  on  the  Saturday  morning  after  the  assassination.  The 
reason  for  not  communicating  directly  with  the  military  was  stated  by 


OF    ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  •  187 

the  prisoner,  to  witness,  to  be  that  he  feared  that  his  life  would  not 
be  safe  if  the  guerrillas,  who  infested  the  neighborhood,  became  aware 
of  it.  The  witness  complied  with  the  prisoner's  wishes,  and,  in  com- 
pany with  the  military  and  detectives,  visited  the  latter's  house,  where 
he  supposed  Dr.  Samuel  Mudd  made  the  same  statement  to  the 
authorities,  about  the  visit  of  Booth  and  Harrold,  that  he  did  to  the 
witness. 

Another  witness,  named  Hardy,  testified  that  he  heard  the  prisoner, 
Dr.  Mudd,  ofi"er  to  produce  Booth's  boot  the  moment  the  authorities 
came  to  his  house.  All  of  this  evidence,  it  will  be  noticed,  flatly 
contradicts  the  evidence  of  the  detectives,  for  the  prosecution ;  but  it 
must  be  recollected,  even  admitting  these  latter  statements  to  be  cor- 
rect, that  he  kept  both  Harrold  and  Booth  in  his  house,  secreted  for 
ten  hours,  and  it  was  not  till  after  they  had  gone,  that  he  requested 
his  relative  to  inform  the  authorities.  Besides,  he  knew  Booth,  and 
it  was  proven  that  he  had  heard  of  the  assassination,  and  learned  who 
was  the  guilty  party  before  the  "suspicious  persons''  left  his  house. 

On  the  30th  but  little  new  was  elicited,  save  with  reference  to 
Spangler.  Jacob  Ritterspaugh  testified  that  he  was  employed  in 
Ford's  theater  when  the  President  was  shot.  He  saw  the  assassin  run 
across  the  stage,  and  followed  him.  He  found  the  door  hard  to  open. 
When  witness  returned  Spangler  struck  him,  saying :  "  For  God's 
sake,  do  n't  say  which  way  Booth  went.''  The  witness  was  called  for 
Harrold,  and  said  he  had  always  been  regarded  as  a  light  and  trifling 
boy,  easily  influenced. 

H.  N.  James,  on  the  other  hand,  testified  that  at  the  time  the  shot 
was  fired  by  Booth  at  Ford's  theater,  he  (witness)  was  standing  on 
the  stage  ready  to  draw  flat,  and  Spangler  was  standing  right  opposite 
him.  From  where  they  stood,  neither  witness  nor  Spangler  could 
see  the  President's  box.  Did  not  know  what  Spangler  did  when  the 
shot  was  fired.  Witness  thought  he  was  nearer  the  door,  out  of 
which  Booth  ran,  than  Spangler  was.  The  passage  way  was  clear  at 
the  time.  It  was  the  duty  of  the  witness  and  Spangler  to  keep  it 
clear ;  more  of  Spangler's  business  than  his  own.     Spangler  appeared 


188  LIFE    AND    MARTYRDOM 

pleased  when  the  President  entered,  and  applauded  as  the  audience 
did. 

Mr.  Doester,  on  the  2d  of  June,  announced  that  he  intended  to 
set  up  the  plea  of  insanity  in  behalf  of  Payne,  which  considerably 
amused  the  prisoner,  who  never  before  suspected  that  he  was  a  luna- 
tic.    An  investigation  to  ascertain  the  truth  was  ordered. 

Nothing  of  importance  then  transpired  till  the  5th,  when  some 
further  evidence  as  to  the  general  nature  of  the  conspiracy  was  in- 
troduced. 

Charles  Duell  testified  that  he  lived  in  "Washington,  and  while  re- 
cently in  Morehead  City,  N.  C,  picked  up  a  letter  addressed  to  John 
"W.  Wise.  The  letter  was  floating  in  the  water  near  the  Government 
wharf.     It  was  read  as  follows  : 

"Washington,  April  15,  1865. 

"  Dear  John  :  I  am  happy  to  inform  you  that  Pet  has  done  his 
work  well,  and  that  he  is  safe,  and  Old  Abe  is  in  hell  now,  sure.  All 
eyes  are  on  you.  You  must  bring  Sherman.  Grant  is  in  the  hands 
of  Old  Gray  ere  this.  Red  Shoes  showed  a  lack  of  nerve  in  Seward's 
case,  but  he  fell  back  in  order.  Johnson  must  come.  Old  Crook 
has  him  in  charge.  Mind  well  that  brother's  oath,  and  you  will  have 
no  difficulty.  All  will  be  safe,  and  enjoy  the  fruits  of  our  labor. 
We  had  a  large  meeting  last  night.  All  were  bent  on  carrying  out 
the  programme  to  the  last.  The  rails  are  laid  for  a  safe  exit.  Old 
L.  is  always  behind.  I  say  again,  the  lives  of  our  brothers  and  the 
life  of  the  South  depend  upon  carrying  this  programme  into  eflFect_ 
No.  2  will  give  you  this.  It  is  ordered  that  no  more  letters  shall  be 
Bent  by  mail.  When  you  write,  sign  no  real  name,  and  send  by  some 
of  our  friends  who  are  coming  home.  We  want  you  to  write  how  the 
news  was  received  there.  We  receive  great  encouragement  from  all 
quarters.  I  hope  there  will  be  no  getting  weak  in  the  knees.  I  was 
in  Baltimore  yesterday.  Pet  had  not  yet  got  there.  Your  folks  are 
well.     Do  n't  lose  your  nerve." 

The  witness  knew  nothing  of  the  person  to  whom  the  letter  waa 
addressed.     He  said  he  knew  nothing  of  the  key  to  the  cipher,  but 


OP    ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  189 

they  commenced  with  the  date,  and  he  began  to  make  it  out,  but  had 
no  acquaintance  with  the  cipher  till  he  came  to  Washington.  The 
letter  did  n't  seem  to  have  been  long  in  the  water. 

James  Ferguson  testified  that  he  was  with  the  last  witness  when 
the  letter  was  found ;  Ferguson  saw  it  first  and  called  attention  to  it; 
this  was  on  the  1st  or  2d  of  May. 

Marcus  P.  Anton,  of  Troy,  N.  Y.,  testified  to  being  at  the  National 
Hotel,  in  Washington,  and  that  on  the  3d  of  March,  Dr.  Mudd  en- 
tered his  room  hastily,  and  appeared  to  be  somewhat  excited ;  he  said 
that  he  had  made  a  mistake ;  that  he  wanted  to  see  Booth ;  witness 
told  him  Booth's  room  was  perhaps  on  the  floor  above ;  but  did  not 
know  the  number.  From  the  apparently  excited  manner  of  the  per- 
son entering  the  room,  he  (witness)  left  his  writing  and  went  out  into 
the  hall,  and  followed  him ;  he  went  down  stairs,  and  as  he  reached 
the  story  below  Mudd  turned  and  looked  at  him.  The  witness  recog- 
nized Dr.  Mudd  when  he  first  entered  the  room  ;  he  had  not  seen  him 
since  until  that  day. 

On  the  8th,  Francis  R.  Farrell  was  called,  and  stated  that  he  saw 
Dr.  Mudd  on  the  afternoon  of  the  15th,  and  that  he  (witness)  asked 
the  doctor  if  it  was  true  that  the  President  had  been  assassinated, 
and  the  latter  replied  that  it  was,  and  that  he  heard  that  one  Booth 
had  done  it;  but  he  did  n't  know  whether  or  not  it  was  the  same  one 
who  was  down  in  that  section  the  fall  before.  Mudd  expressed  sor- 
row at  the  deed ;  but  did  not  say  that  Booth  and  Harrold  were  then, 
or  had  just  been,  at  his  house,  secreted. 

The  session  of  June  9th  was  nearly  all  consumed  in  trying,  by  one 
or  the  other  of  the  prisoners,  to  impeach  the  testimony  of  certain 
witnesses  for  the  prosecution,  and  nothing  new  was  developed. 

On  the  10th,  counsel  for  Mudd,  Spangler,  and  Arnold  announced 
that  their  cases  were  closed  ;  and  that  Mr.  Doester,  for  Payne,  asked 
that  time  be  allowed  for  the  prisoner's  father  to  arrive  from  Florida, 
to  aid  in  proving  his  insanity ;  but  on  the  14th,  the  surgical  commis- 
sion reported  that,  though  Payne's  intelligence  was  of  a  low  order,  he 
was  not  insane,  and  the  plea  was  accordingly  dropped. 
16 


l90  LIFE     AND     MARTYRDOM 

On  the  IGth  the  only  important  witness  called  was  D.  S.  Eastman, 
one  of  the  managers  of  the  Ontario  Bank  of  Montreal,  Canada.  He 
identified  a  check  drawn  in  favor  of  Ben  Wood,  of  New  Xork,  for 
$25,000,  by  Jacob  Thompson,  the  rebel  agent  in  Canada — a  circum- 
stance which  may  account  for  Ben's  ardent  advocacy  of  the  recognition 
of  the  Jeff  Davis  government,  and  his  traitorous  course  toward  the 
legislative  authorities  at  Washington. 

ARGUMENTS   OP  COUNSEL. 

The  argument  of  Hon.  Reverdy  Johnston,  of  Maryland,  was  the 
first  presented,  and  was  read  in  court  on  the  18th  of  June,  and  was 
exclusively  to  the  jurisdiction  of  the  court.  He  claimed  that  a  military 
tribunal  had  no  jurisdiction  over  other  than  military  offenses  where  the 
law  provides  no  remedy;  that  offenses  defined  and  punished  by  the  civil 
law,  and  whose  trial  is  provided  for  by  the  same  law,  are  not  the  subjects 
of  military  jurisdiction,  is  of  course  true.  A  military,  as  contradis- 
tinguished from  a  civil  offense  must  therefore  be  made  to  appear,  and 
when  it  is,  it  must  also  appear  that  that  law  does  not  furnish  a  mode 
of  trial  or  affix  a  punishment,  and  the  case  is  unprovided  for  as  far  as 
the  military  power  is  concerned,  and  is  to  go  unpunished.  But  as 
either  the  civil,  common  or  statute  law  embraces  every  species  of 
offense  that  the  United  States  or  states  have  deemed  it  necessary  to 
punish;  in  all  such  cases  the  civil  courts  are  clothed  with  every  neces- 
sary jurisdiction. 

In  a  military  court,  if  the  charge  does  not  state  a  crime  provided 
for  generally  or  specifically  by  any  of  the^articles  of  war,  the  prisoner 
must  be  discharged,  (O'Brien,  5  ;  p.  235),  nor  is  it  sufficient  that  the 
charge  is  of  a  crime  known  to  the  military  law.  The  offender,  when 
lie  commits  it  must  be  subject  to  military  jurisdiction.  The  general 
law  has  supreme  and  undisputed  jurisdiction  over  all.  The  military 
law  puts  forth  no  such  pretensions.  It  aims  solely  to  enforce  on  the 
soldier  the  additional  duties  he  has  assumed.  It  constitutes  tribunals 
for  the  trial  of  breaches  of  military  duty  only,  (O'Brien,  pp.  26  and  27). 
The  one  code,  the  civil,  embraces  all  citizens,  whether  soldiers  or  not. 


OF     ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  Ifll 

The  other,  the  military,  has  no  jurisdiction  over  any  citizen,  as 
such.  He  contended  that  this  matter  was  clearly  settled  by  the  fifih 
amendment  to  the  constitution,  which  had  been  adopted  exclusively 
to  meet  exactly  such  cases. 

In  the  course  of  his  argument,  Mr.  Johnson  said  he  had  brought 
forward  this  question  of  jurisdiction,  only  because  he  conscientiously 
believed  it  to  be  his  duty.  He  did  not  seek  for  impunity  to  any  o»e 
engaged  in  the  horrid  crimes  of  the  night  of  the  14th  of  April ;  ovier 
them  the  civil  courts  of  this  district  had  ample  jurisdicticn  and  will 
faithfully  exercise  it,  if  the  cases  are  remanded  to  them.  As  to  the 
case  of  Mrs.  Surratt,  he  referred  to  her  as  a  woman  who  was  educated 
a  devout  Christian,  was  ever  kind,  affectionate,  and  charitable,  with 
ho  motive  disclosed  to  us  that  could  have  caused  her  to  participation  in 
the  crimes  in  question.  He  said  we  had  no  evidence  uncontradicted 
showing  that  she  was  a  participant. 

Mr.  Cox,  for  Messrs.  Arnold  and  O'Laughlin,  contended  that  his 
clients  were  not  guilty,  as  charged  in  the  specifications ;  but  had  only 
engaged,  and  with  little  warmth,  in  the  plot  to  capture  the  Presi- 
dent ;  and  that,  therefore,  they  could  not  be  punished  for  conspiriag 
to  murder,  and  he,  therefore,  asked  that  they  be  acquitted. 

In  the  argument  of  Mr.  Doester,  in  behalf  of  Payne,  the  public 
were  first  enlightened  as  to  who  that  mysterious  personage  was.  He 
had  resolutely  refused  to  say  anything  of  his  parentage  or  former 
residence  ;  and  all  sorts  of  wild  stories  were  afloat  regarding  him, 
one  of  which  made  him  a  natural  son  of  Jeff  Davis  himself.  But 
from  the  statement  of  Mr.  Doester  we  learn  that  his  true  name  is 
Lewis  Payne  Powell,  and  that  he  is  the  son  of  Rev.  George  C.  Pow- 
ell, a  Baptist  minister,  at  present  supposed  to  live  at  Live  Oak  Sta- 
tion, on  the  railroad  between  Jacksonville  and  Tallahassee,  in  tke 
State  of  Florida,  and  was  born  in  Alabama,  in  the  year  184:5.  Be- 
sides himself,  his  father  had  six  daughters  and  two  sons.  He  lived 
for  some  time  in  Worth  and  Stuart  counties,  Georgia,  and  in  1859 
inoved  to  Florida.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  but  four  yea»s 
ago,  the  prisoner  was  a  lad  of  sixteen,  engaged  in  superintending  l»s 


192  LIFE    AND    MARTTEDOM 

father's  plantation  and  a  number  of  slaves.  Like  other  young  South- 
erners, he  entered  the  rebel  army,  and  was  attached  to  Hill's  corps, 
near  Richmond;  and  it  was  among  the  villains  who  constituted  that 
army,  and  who  made  rings  and  cups  from  the  bones  and  skulls  of  our 
slain,  and  who  killed  our  helpless  wounded  on  the  battle  field,  that 
he  learned  his  code  of  morality. 

While  at  Richmond  he  went  to  the  theater  for  the  first  time  in  his 
life,  and  there  saw  Wilkes  Booth  playing ;  and  being  fascinated  by 
that  individual,  he  sought  and  obtained  an  introduction,  and  at  once 
the  two  became  fast  friends,  Payne,  or  Powell,  was  afterward  taken 
prisoner,  and  released  on  taking  the  oath  of  allegiance ;  and  while 
■wandering  around  in  Washington,  met  Booth,  who  expressed  sur- 
prise ;  whereupon  he  replied  :  "  Booth,  I  want  food  ;  I  am  starving." 
Under  other  circumstances  Booth  might  have  given  him  bread,  but 
he  was  filled  with  a  mighty  scheme,  for  he  had  just  come  from  Cana- 
da, and  was  lying  in  wait  for  agents.  He  seized  with  eagerness  the 
poor  man's  hunger  to  wind  about  him  his  toils,  saying :  "  I  will  give 
you  as  much  money  as  you  want,  but  you  must  swear  to  stick  by  me; 
it  is  in  the  oil  business."  A  hungry  stomach  is  not  too  cautious  of 
oaths,  and  Powell  then  swore  that  fatal  oath  binding  his  soul  as  firmly 
to  Booth  as  Faust  to  Mephistopheles,  and  went  in  and  feasted.  Next 
morning  Booth  gave  him  money  enough  to  buy  a  change  of  clothing 
and  keep  him  for  a  week ;  and  soon  after  disclosed  his  designs— 
though  only  by  degrees,  to  make  sure  of  his  man.  The  plan  was  to 
go  to  Washington,  feke  a  ride  with  confederates  to  the  Soldiers'  Home, 
capture  the  President,  and  deliver  him  to  the  rebel  authorities.  Oa 
the  evening  of  the  14th  of  April,  at  eight  o'clock.  Booth  told  him  the 
hour  had  struck,  placed  in  his  hands  the  knife,  the  revolver,  and  the 
bogus  package  of  medicine,  and  told  him  to  do  his  duty,  and  gave 
him  a  horse,  with  directions  to  meet  him  at  Anacastia  Bridge,  and  he 
went  and  did  the  deed.  "I,"  said  Mr,  Doester,  "have  asked  him  why 
he  did  it.     His  only  answer  is  :  'Because  I  believed  it  my  duty.' '' 

Mr.  Doester  asked  the  leniency  of  the  court,  as  far  as  the  ends  of 
justice  would  permit. 


OF     ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  193 

On  the  20th,  the  counsel  of  Atzeroth,  read  a  declaration  from  the 
prisoner,  prepared  by  himself,  and  over  his  own  signature,  in  which 
he  said : 

"  I  am  one  of  the  party  who  agreed  to  the  capture  of  the  President 
of  the  United  States,  or  any  member  of  the  Cabinet,  or  General 
Grant,  or  Vice-President  Johnson.  The  first  plot  to  capture  failed  ; 
the  second,  to  kill,  I  broke  away  from  the  moment  I  heard  of  it. 
This  is  the  way  it  came  about.  On  the  evening  of  the  14th  of  April, 
I  met  Booth  and  Payne  at  the  Herndon  House,  in  this  city,  at  eight 
o'clock.  He  (Booth)  said  he  himself  would  take  charge  of  Mr. 
Lincoln  and  General  Grant,  Payne  should  take  Mr.  Seward,  and  I 
should  take  Mr.  Johnson  ;  I  told  him  that  I  would  not  do  it ;  that  I 
had  gone  into  the  thing  to  capture,  but  I  was  not  going  to  kill ;  he 
told  me  that  I  was  a  fool  ;  that  I  would  be  hung  anyhow ;  that  it  was 
death  to  every  man  who  backed  out,  as  well  as  those  who  remained 
in."  He  then  went  on  to  give  the  particulars  of  his  flight,  and 
arrest,  which  has  already  been  narrated. 

The  arguments  of  the  counsel  for  the  remaining  prisoners,  were 
mere  reviews  of  the  evidence  ;  and  of  course  they  were  intended  to 
exculpate  the  accused.  The  court  then  adjourned  till  Tuesday,  June 
27th,  when  Judge  Bingham,  in  behalf  of  the  prosecution,  replied  to  the 
arguments  of  the  attorneys  for  the  prisoners,  and  particularly  to  that 
respecting  the  jurisdiction  of  the  court. 

The  argument  of  the  judge,  though  necessarily  lengthy,  was  clear, 
and  carefully  prepared.  He  urged  that  the  crime  was  committed 
during  a  state  of  war ;  that  it  was  the  plotting  of  the  rebel  authori- 
ties, and  that  the  prisoners  were  only  fitting  instruments  in  their  hands  j 
and  that  it  was  committed  upon  the  person  of  the  Commander-in-chief 
of  the  armies  of  the  United  States,  within  the  limits  of  a  fortified, 
and  garrisoned  town.  He  quoted  from  a  decision  of  the  supreme 
court  of  the  United  States,  to  prove  that  public  enemies  were  not 
liable  to  be  tried  by  a  jury  ;  and  these  men  werfr  public  enemies,  be- 
cause authorized  to  do  the  deed  by  Jeff  Davis,  and  his  agents  ;  but 
the  act  not  being  within  the  line  of  legitimate  warfare,  the  partici- 


194  LIFE    AND     MARTYRDOM 

pants  must  take   the   consequences.     He   contended,  among   other 
things  : 

The  rebellion,  in  aid  of  which  this  conspiracy  was  forced,  and  thia 
great  public  crime  committed,  was  prosecuted  for  the  vindication  of 
no  right,  for  the  redress  of  no  wrong ;  but  was  itself  simply  a  crimi- 
nal conspiracy,  and  gigantic  assassination.  The  court  had  already 
overruled  the  plea  of  jurisdiction ;  he  would  pass  it  over  in  silence, 
but  for  the  fact  that  it  had  been  gravely  argued  by  the  counsel  for 
the  accused.  Denying  the  authority  of  the  president  to  constitute 
this  commission,  is  an  averment  that  this  tribunal  is  not  a  court  of 
justice,  has  no  legal  existence,  and  no  power  to  hear  and  determine 
the  issues  joined.  In  making  this  averment  the  counsel  should  show 
how  the  president  could  otherwise  discharge  the  duty  enjoined  upon 
him  by  his  oath  to  protect,  preserve,  and  defend  the  constitution,  and 
take  care  that  the  laws  be  faithfully  executed.  As  to  the  assertion 
that  civil  courts  are  open  in  this  district,  he  answered,  they  are  closed 
throughout  half  of  the  republic,  and  were  open  in  the  district  only  by 
the  force  of  the  bayonet.  Withdraw  the  military  forces,  and  would 
the  rebel  bands  infesting  the  vicinity  allow  their  confederates  here  to 
be  tried  in  this  or  any  other  court  ?  The  conspirator  who  assassin- 
ated the  president  was  not  arrested  by  civil  process,  but  pursued  by 
military  power,  captured,  and  slain.  Was  this  an  act  of  usurpation  ? 
Who  in  all  the  land  is  bold  enough  or  base  enough  to  assert  it  ?  If 
the  president  is  justified  in  this  act,  what  law  condemns  him  for  ar- 
resting, in  like  manner,  and  subjecting  to  trial  according  to  military 
laws,  all  other  parties  in  this  conspiracy  ? 

EXPLANATIONS   BY   THE   WITNESS. 

As  great  effort  had  been  made  to  discredit  the  testimony  of  Cono- 
Ter,  relative  to  the  conduct  of  Thompson  and  others  in  Canada,  that 
witness  was  recalled,  on  the  27th,  and  explained  all  that  appeared 
contradictory.  He  said  that  he  passed  by  the  name  of  Wallace,  but 
that  there  was  another  Wallace,  beside  himself,  who  had  testified  in 
the  case  of  the  St.  Albans'  raiders ;  and  he  showed  the  fact,  by  pro- 


OF     ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  195 

ducing  files  of  the  Montreal  papers  containing  a  report  of  the  pro- 
ceedings. Parties  had  claimed  that  Clay  was  not  in  Toronto  in 
February  ;  but  that  he  "was,  was  proven  by  several  witnesses. 

After  having  given  his  testimony,  Conover  returned  to  Canada,  and 
for  some  time  no  one-  heard  any  thing  of  him ;  but,  in  the  meantime, 
a  statement  was  published  in  the  Montreal  Telegraph,  signed  "  James 
Watson  Wallace,"  to  the  effect  that  he  was  the  party  who  testified 
in  the  St.  Albans'  case,  and  that  he  had  not  been  before  the  military 
commission  at  Washington  at  all.     This,  it  now  turns  out,  was  writ- 
ten  and   published  by  Conover  himself,  but  under  these  circum- 
stances :  —  He  went  to  Montreal,  for  Judge  Holt,  to  secure  a  certified 
copy  of  some  documents,   when  he  suddenly   found  himself  sur- 
rounded by  a  dozen   or  more  of  the  conspirators,  and  —  but   his 
statement  will  be  of  more  value  in  his  own  words.     He  says :  "  I 
went  into  a  saloon,  to  wait  until  the  public  ofl&ces  were  opened ; 
while  sitting  there,  in  about  ten  minutes  a  dozen  of  rebels  surrounded 
me,  and  accused  me  of  having  betrayed  their  secrets ;  not  knowing, 
at  the  time,  that  my  testimony  had  ever  been  published,  I  denied  it ; 
they  said  if  I  would  give  them  a  letter  to  that  effect  it  would  be 
well ;  just  as  I  was  about  to  get  away  Beverly  Tucker  came  in  ;  he 
said  a  mere  letter  would  not  do,  because  I  had  testified  before  the 
court ;  therefore,  I  must  give  some  paper  under  oath  to  make  my 
denial  sufficiently  strong ;  about  a  dozen  of  these  men  assailed  me 
in  a  furious  manner  *,  O'Donnell  took  out  his  pistol,  and  said  unless  I 
did  so  I  never  should  leave  the  room  alive ;  at  last  Sanders  said, 
'  Wallace,  you  see  what  kind  of  hands  you  are  in ;'  I  at  length  con- 
sented ;  it  was  understood  that  I  was  to  prepare  the  paper  in  my  own 
way ;  I  intended,  however,  not  to  prepare  the  paper,  but  to  escape 
from  them  at  the  most  convenient  opportunity ;  they  insisted  they 
must  go  to  O'Donnell's  room,  and  I  was  forced  to  comply  ;  Mr.  Kerr, 
who  defended  the  St.  Albans'  raiders,  was  then  sent  for  to  prepare 
the  paper ;  two  .of  Morgan's   men   were  there ;  a  pistol  was  again 
drawn  on  me ;  Kerr  came ;  the  affidavit  was  prepared  and  I  signed 
it  and  went  through  the  ceremony  of  an  oath." 


196  LIFE     AND     MARTYRDOM 

After  hearing  this  testimony  and  the  concluding  arguments  for 
the  prosecution,  the  court  adjourned  till  Thursday,  29th,  when  it 
jnet  in  secret  session,  at  11  o'clock,  A.M.,  to  make  up  a  verdict,  which 
was  submitted  to  the  president  for  his  examination  ;  the  nature,  how- 
ever, being  kept  from  the  public  till  the  executive  decision  shall  be 
made. 

THE   VERDICT    AND   SENTENCE. 

On  account  of  the  illness  of  the  President,  that  official  was  unable 
to  complete  a  review  of  the  testimony,  until  Thursday,  July  6,  when 
an  order  was  issued,  approving  the  findings  and  sentences  of  the 
court,  and  ordering  the  execution  to  take  place  on  the  following 
day — Friday,  July  7.  Harrold,  Atzeroth,  Payne,  and  Mrs.  Sur- 
ratt — leading  spirits  in  the  conspiracy,  were  condemned  to  die; 
while  O'Laughlin,  Arnold,  and  Mudd  were  sentenced  to  imprison- 
ment, at  hard  labor,  for  life,  and  Spangler  to  the  same  for  the  term 
of  six  years  —  Albany,  New  York,  being  the  place  designated  for 
their  incarceration. 

As  soon  as  this  sentence  order  was  promulgated,  an  effort  was 
made  in  behalf  of  Mrs.  Surratt,  to  secure  a  commutation  of  the  sen- 
tence, or,  at  least,  a  brief  respite.  The  prisoner,  herself,  begged  for 
four  days,  in  which  to  prepare  for  death,  and  her  petition  was 
backed  up  by  the  personal  intercession  of  her  daughter,  and  of  her 
spiritual  advisers  — two  Catholic  clergymen.  Her  counsel,  too,  pre- 
sented some  circumstances,  which  they  believed  would  mitigate  the 
rigor  of  her  punishment ;  but  the  President  could  find  nothing  in 
the  new  evidence  affecting  the  question  of  guilt,  and  he,  therefore, 
respectfully  declined  to  swerve  from  the  ^plain  line  of  his  duties ; 
and  accordingly  preparations  were  made  for  the  execution. 

Determining  to  leave  no  effort  untried,  Mrs.  Surratt's  counsel  then 
appealed  to  the,  courts,  for  a  habeas  corpus ;  and  at  half  past  eight 
in  the  morning,  of  the  day  of  execution,  the  following  was  issued  by 
Judge  Aiken  : 

In  the  matter  of  Mary  E.  Surratt.     A  petition  of  haheas  corpus. 


OF    ABRAHAM    LINCOLN.  197 

The  President  of  the  United  States  to  Major-General  Hancock,  com* 
manding  the  Middle  Division,  greeting: 

You  are  hereby  commanded  to  have  the  body  of  Mary  E.  Surratt, 
detained  under  your  custody  as  aforesaid,  together  with  the  day  and 
cause  of  her  being  taken  and  detained  by  whatever  name  she  may 
be  called  in  the  same,  before  the  Court  of  the  District  of  Columbia, 
now  sitting  in  the  City  of  Washington,  at  the  hour  of  ten  o'clock, 
on  the  morning  of  the  7th  day  of  July,  1865,  to  do  and  receive 
whatever  shall  then  and  there  be  considered  in  her  behalf. 

Witness,  Andrew  Wylie,  one  of  the  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  said  District,  the  7th  day  of  July,  1865. 

[Signed]  J.  M.  Mbigs,  Clerk. 

INDORSEMENT. 

I  certify  that  I  have  served  a  copy  of  the  within  writ  of  habeat 
corpus  on  General  W,  S.  Hancock,  this  the  7th  day  of  July,  1865, 
at  half  past  eight  o'clock,  at  the  Metropolitan  Hotel,  Washington 
City,  D.  C. 

[Signed]  David  S.  Gooding,  Z7.  S.  Marshal,  D.  G. 

This  was  served  on  General  Hancock,  at  the  Metropolitan  Hotel  j 
and  immediately  he  referred  the  case  to  the  War  Department,  and 
at  ten  minutes  past  twelve  o'clock,  he  appeared  in  court,  and  made 
the  following  return : 

Headquarters  Middle  Military  Division, 
Washington,  D.  C,  July  7,  1865. 
Hon.  Andrew  Wylie,  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  District  of 
Columbia : 
I  hereby  acknowledge  the  service  of  the  writ  hereto  attached,  and 
return  the  same,  and  respectfully  say  that  the  body  of  Mary  E.  Sur- 
ratt is  in  my  possession,  under  and  by  virtue  of  an  order  of  Andrew 
Johnson,  President  of  the  United  States  and  Commander-in-Chief 
of  the  army  and  navy,  for  the  purposes  in  said  order  expressed,  a 
copy  of  which  is  hereto  attached  and  made  part  of  the  return ;  and 
that  I  do  not  produce  said  body  by  reason  of  the  order  of  the  Pres- 


l98  LIFE    AND    MARTYRDOM 

ident  of  the  United  States,  indorsed  upon  said  writ,  to  wliicli  refer- 
ence is  hereby  respectfully  made. 

W.  S.  Hancock,  Maj.-Gen.  U.  S.  F., 

Commanding  Division. 
The  following  is  the  indorsement  upon  the  writ: 
Major-  General  Hancoch,  Commanding,  etc. : 

I,  Andrew  Johnson,  President  of  the  United  States,  do  hereby  der 
elare  that  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  has  been  heretofore  suspended  ia 
such  cases  as  this  ;  and  I  do  hereby  and  especially  suspend  this  writ, 
and  direct  that  you  proceed  to  execute  the  order  heretofore  given 
upon  the  judgment  of  the  Military  Commission,  and  you  will  give 
this  order  in  l-eturn  to  this  writ. 

Andrew  Johnson,  President. 

The  court,  after  some  discussion,  acknowledged  its  power  inade- 
quate to  the  enforcement  of  the  writ,  against  the  military  power  of 
General  Hancock,  and  thus  the  matter  ended,  and  the  execution  pro- 
ceeded. 

Payne,  Harrold,  and  Atzeroth,  from  the  beginning,  had  expected 
death,  and  as  they  had  no  money  to  fee  counsel,  as  had  Mrs.  Surratt, 
they  were  at  once  given  over  to  their  spiritual  advisers — Baptist, 
Episcopal,  and  Lutheran  Clergymen.  Payne  continued  stubborn, 
but  the  others  gave  way  before  the  prospect,  and  gave  every  evidence 
of  deep  agony.  They  were  utterly  unmanned — moved,  not  by  their 
crime,  but  the  prospective  punishment. 

Atzeroth  made  a  futile  statement,  that  he  never  conspired  to  mur- 
der the  President,  but  only  to  capture  him  ;  but  admitted  that  it  had 
been  contemplated  that,  in  certain  emergencies,  it  might  be  necessary 
to  kill  him.  The  others  are  said  to  have  made  statements,  but  they 
have  not  yet  seen  the  light. 

PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  EXECUTION. 

People  from  all  sections,  within  a  hundred  miles  of  the  capital, 
came  rushing  in  to  witness  the  execution  ;  when  a  rule  had  been 
adopted   that   none,  save   the   necessary  number  of  witnesses,  the 


OF    ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  199 

guard,  and  members  of  the  press  should  be  allowed  in  the  prison- 
yard,  and  hence  the  curious  were  doomed  to  disappointment. 

Early  in  the  morning  numerous  guards  were  stationed  along  Four- 
and-a-half-street,  from  Pennsylvania-avenue  south,  and  around  the 
arsenal  grounds. 

The  Fourth  and  First  Regiments  of  Hancock's  Corps,  and  a  large 
detachment  of  the  Sixtieth  Ohio,  were  marched  to  the  prison.  The 
First  (Hancock's)  Regiment  was  stationed  in  the  south  yard,  the 
Fourth  upon  the  walls  and  at  the  doors,  and  the  Sixtieth  Ohio  around 
the  outside.  The  gallows,  which  was  erected  by  workmen  from  the 
arsenal,  by  eleven  o'clock;  three  uprights  holding  the  floor  above, 
which  rises  on  the  west  side ;  the  uprights  supporting  the  beam  from 
which  hung  four  ropes,  each  being  of  strong  hemp.  The  dimensions 
were,  twenty  feet  long,  ten  feet  high  to  the  floor,  twenty  feet  to  the 
beam  and  fifteen  feet  wide  to  the  platform. 

The  drops,  of  which  there  were  four,  were  each  four  feet  by  six, 
and  directly  beneath  the  beano,  were  held  in  their  place  by  an  up- 
right, which  was  knocked  from  under  by  two  pieces  of  scantling  be- 
ing swung  against  it.  The  drop  was  six  feet.  A  few  feet  south  of 
the  scafi'old,  near  the  east  wall,  the  four  graves,  each  seven  feet  by 
three  wide  and  four  deep,  were  dug,  it  being  the  intention  that  the 
condemned  should  be  buried  there,  in  case  their  friends  did  not  claim 
them. 

The  friends  and  relatives  of  the  prisoners  were  allowed  to  visit 
and  remain  with  them  during  the  morning,  as  they  had  beeu  on  the 
previous  night;  and  the  party  were,  of  course,  deeply  afi'ected. 

THE   EXECUTION. 

At  a  quarter  past  one  o'clock,  the  doors  of  the  prison  were  thrown 
open,  and  the  culprits  led  out. 

Mrs.  Surratt  came  first,  supported  by  two  officers,  and  attended  by 
her  spiritual  friends.  Fathers  Wigel  and  "Walter.  Next  came  Atze- 
roth,  with  Rev.  Dr.  Butler,  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  Chaplain 
Winchester.     Harrold  followed  in.  the  attendance  of  Rev.  Dr.  Olds 


200  LIFE     AND     MARTYRDOM 

of  Christ  Church  (Episcopal),  while  Payne,  accompanied  by  Dr.  Gil- 
lit  of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  and  Dr.  Striker,  of  Baltimore,  came 
last.  Owing  to  her  physical  state  and  the  weight  of  her  chains,  Mrs. 
Surratt  was  almost  carried  to  the  gallows.  She  was  placed  on  the 
north  end  of  the  platform,  surrounded  by  her  spiritual  friends.  With 
upturned  eyes  and  downcast  looks,  she  sank  almost  insensible  into 
her  seat.  She  was  shaded  from  the  powerful  heat  of  the  sun  by  an 
umbrella  held  by  a  soldier.  Her  dress  was  deep  black  —  the  same 
as  worn  while  on  trial.  Next  to  her,  and  on  the  same  drop,  was 
Payne,  whose  face  and  eyes  presented  an  unusual  color  and  appear- 
ance. His  dress  resembled  that  of  a  sailor.  On  the  other  drop  was 
Harrold,  with  slouchy  dress  and  woebegone  looks.  Atzeroth  was  on 
the  same  drop  with  Payne,  and,  like  him  and  Harrold,  was  in  his 
stocking  feet. 

General  Hartrauft  now  advanced  and  read  the  sentence  of  death ; 
after  which  the  dying  service  of  the  Catholic  Church  was  read  to 
Mrs.  Surratt  by  Fathers  Wiget  and  Walter,  she  holding  the  cross 
fervently  to  her  lips.  Atzeroth  was  seen  to  mutter  some  words,  as 
if  in  prayer;  and,  through  Dr.  Gillett,  Payne  expressed  his  thanks 
for  the  kind  treatment  he  had  received  from  all  with  whom  he  had 
been  in  contact  since  his  arrest.  Dr.  Gillett  oflFered  a  fervent  prayer, 
in  which  Payne  seemed  to  join.  Dr.  Olds  said  in  behalf  of  Harrold, 
that  he  forgave  all  and  hoped  for  forgiveness  from  all,  after  which  the 
doctor  followed  in  prayer;  and  in  like  manner  Dr.  Butler  spoke  in 
behalf  of  Atzeroth,  and  closed  with  prayer. 

The  prisoners  were  now  placed  over  the  fatal  drop.  The  arms  and 
ankles  of  Atzeroth,  who  came  first,  were  tied  securely  with  strips  of 
white  cloth  ;  and  in  the  same  manner  the  other  criminals  were  bound, 
and  the  noose  adjusted.  As  the  fatal  moment  approached,  Mrs.  Sur- 
ratt said  :  "Please  don't  let  me  fall." 

After  a  violent  effort  with  his  feverish  lips,  Atzeroth  said :  "  Gen- 
tlemen, take  ware  —  "  (meaning  warning.)  After  the  white  caps 
were  all  put  over  the  prisoners'  heads,  Atzeroth  said,  in  distinct 
tones:  "Good-bye,  gentlemen,  who  are  before  me  now;  may  we  all 


OP    ABRAHAM     LINCOLN.  201 

meet  in  the  other  world.  God  help  me  now.  Oh  I  Oh!  Oh  I  "and 
the  four  criminals  were  hanging  in  the  air.  The  uprights  were 
knocked  out  at  the  given  signal,  and  the  bodies  were  suspended. 
Atzeroth  died  without  apparent  pain,  while  a  slight  movement  in  the 
limbs  of  Mrs.  Surratt  was  all  that  was  seen  of  the  death  struggle. 
The  bodies  of  Payne  and  Harrold  struggled  considerably.  After 
about  eighteen  minutes  of  solemn  silence,  the  bodies  were  examined 
by  Surgeon  Otis,  U.  S.  V.,  and  Assistant-Surgeons  Porter  and  Wood- 
ward, who  all  pronounced  life  extinct. 

One  of  the  cords  being  prematurely  severed  by  a  soldier,  one  of 
the  bodies  fell  down  with  a  heavy  thump.  The  bodies  of  Atzeroth, 
Harrold,  Payne,  and  Mrs.  Surratt  were  then  placed  in  strong,  white- 
pine  coffins,  in  the  order  named.  It  was  not  ascertained  positively 
whether  the  necks  of  Atzeroth  and  Payne  were  dislocated  or  not, 
but  those  of  Harrold  and  Mrs.  Surratt  were  there  is  no  doubt.  The 
boxes  being  properly  marked  with  the  names  of  the  criminals,  the 
burial  was  completed  by  a  detail  of  the  1st  Corps,  shortly  after 
which  the  spectators  dispersed. 

Thus  was  justice  visited,  so  far  as  these  conspirators  were  con- 
cerned, upon  the  participants  in  the  dreadful  tragedy  which,  but  a 
few  weeks  previously,  had  dressed  a  nation  in  mourning.  Lives  had 
been  taken  for  a  life;  and  the  law  had  been  satisfied,  and  an  example 
set,  which  will  deter  men  from  wild  schemes  of  assassination,  in  the 
future.  The  culprits  having  paid  the  penalty  of  their  crimes  in  this, 
have  gone  to  another,  world,  and  before  a  higher  tribunal,  where  their 
fate  is  sealed  from  mortal  eye,  and  where  every  thought,  as  well  as 
act,  is  judged. 


A  NEW  BOOK  OF  THRILLING  INTEREST. 

CANVASSERS  SEDULD  APPLY  IMMEDIATELY. 

-EVERY  BOOK  AGENT  IN  THE  COUNTRY  WANTED  AT  ONCE.      EVERY  DISCHARGED  SOL- 
DIER, UNFIT  FOR    MANUAL  LABOR,  WANTED    AT    ONCE.       EVERY    FEMALE 
WHO     EVER     SOLD    A   BOOK    OR    THINKS    SHE     CAN    SELL    ONE, 
WANTED  AT  ONCE.      EVERY  PERSON  OF  LEISURE  WHO 
WILL  ENGAGH  IN  A  PLEASANT  AND  PROFIT- 
ABLE   EMPLOYMENT,  WANTED 
AT    ONCE. 

To  Sell  by  Subscription 

THE  SCOUT  AND  RANGER, 

BEING  THE  PERSONAL  ADVENTURES  OF 

CORPORAL  PIKE,  of  the  Fourth  Ohio   Cavalry. 

As  a  Texas  Ranger  in  the  Indian  Wars,  delineating  western  adventure,  and  af- 
terward a  Scout  and  Spy  in  Tennessee,  Alabama,  Georgia,  and  the  Carolinas  un- 
der Generals  0.  M.  Mitchell,  Rosecrans,  Stanley,  Sheridan,  Lttle,  Thovas, 
and  Sherman;  fully  illustrating  the  Secret  Service. 

For  thrilling  adventure,  acts  of  daring  and  strategy,  altogether  unprecedented  ; 
exciting  incident,  reckless  exploits,  fearful  deeds,  and  hair  breadth  escapes,  the 
adventures  of  "  Pike,  the  Scout,"  written  by  himself,  is  beyond  all  coicparison 
the  most  intensely  interesting  work  of  the  day.  Abounding  in  local  phrases, 
which  give  spirit  to  real-life  sketches  ;  full  of  vivid  description,  making  a  picture 
in  every  page  ;  and  with  a  pleasing  mixture  of  comedy  and  tragedy,  it  forms  one 
of  the  most  re'adable  books  in  all  the  literature  of  tho  country. 

There  »re  tens  of  thousands  of  uniou  soldiers,  and,  perhaps,  as  many  southern 
soldiers  and  citizens  who  will  recognize  the  incidents  therein  related  as  having 
transpired  under  their  immediate  observation,  and  who  will  for  the  first  time  learn 
the  true  ttauding  of  the  corporal  who  assumed  almost  every  imaginable  character 
to  effect  his  purposes. 

The  work  will  be  produced  on  fine,  heavy  paper,  octavo  size,  extra  bound  in 
muslin,  with  from  20  to  30  fine  Plates  on  tinted  paper,  designed  especially  for  the 
work  and  executed  in  the  highest  style  of  the  art ;  and  representing  some  of  the 
most  interesting  scenes  described  in  the  work;  it  also  contains  a  fine,  life-like 
portrait  of  the  author. 

The  retail  price  will  be  $2  50,  complete,  and  wilj  be  supplied  to  agents  at  a  most 
liberal  discount.  The  work  will  be  supplied  only  by  subscription,  by  regularly 
authorized  agents,  and  will  not  be  for  sale  at  any  book  store.  Persons  wishing  to 
secure  territory  should  do  so  at  once,  that  they  may  have  such  as  best  suits  them  ; 
agents  will  have  part  or  the  whole  of  a  county  assigned  to  them  and  have  the  ex- 
clusive sale  within  territory  assigned  them,  and  must  obligate  themselves  to  can- 
Tass  it  thoroughly  and  promptly. 

The  sample  copy  and  subscription  book  sent,  paid,  by  mail  or  express,  as  or- 
dered, for  $3  00,  together  with  a  certificate  of  exclusive  agency  for  the  territory 
solicited,  certificates  for  subscribers,  circulars,  and  all  the  necessary  p^perfc  to  en- 
able the  agent  to  commence  his  canvass  at  once. 

For  further  particulars,  terms,  etc.,  apply  to,  or  address, 

J.  K.  HAWLEY  &  CO.,  PubHhhers, 

164  Vine  Street,  Oincinnati,  <? 


THE  SUPPRESSED  BOOK  AGAIN  PUBLISHED! 

Brother  Mason,  the  Circuit  Rider; 

OR,  TE^  YEARS  A  METHOBIJiiT  PREACHER. 


No  one  of  a  liberal  mind  and  generous  charity  can  discover  aught  in 
"Brother  3Iason"  that  should  cause  its  suppression.  Although  it  abounds 
in  rollicking  fun  and  exciting  incident,  it  recognizes  and  acknowledges,  in 
every  sentence,  a  God,  a  faith,  and  a  law;  and  its  influence,  as  a  whole,  can. 
not  be  other  than  salutary. 

Seven  fine  Illustrations,  on  Tint.    Price,  $2.00. 

AND 

EPITOME  OF  PARLOR  ENTERTAINMENTS! 

COMPRISING 

Interpretations  of  Dreams,  Fortune-Telling,  Cliarades,  Tableaux 

Vivants,  Parlor  Gaines,  Parlor  Magic,  Scientiflc 

Amusements,  etc.,  etc. 

"  It  was  a  happy  thought  that  suggested  the  publication  of  this  delightful 
volume.  It  whiles  away  many  a  lonely  hour  for  the  reader  in  solitaire,  and 
affords  an  endless  variety  of  amusement  for  the  social  gathering." 

12mo.,  Clotli.    Price,  $1.25. 

THE  ARMY  AND  NAVY  IIANDl  BOOK; 

Or,  Every  Soldier  and  Marine  His  Own  Counselor. 

BEINO    A    FULL    AND    COMPLETE 

GUIDE  TO  THE  SOLDIER  AND  MARINE, 

In  all  matters  pertaining  to  his  Duties,  his  Obligations,  and  his  Rights, 
and  how  to  obtain  his  Rights  without  Legal  Assistance. 

Together  with  every  thing  of  interest  connected  with    the  Army  and  Navy 
Departments,  and  a  complete 

CHROXOLOGICAL  RECORD  OF  EVENTS  CONNECTED  WITH  THE  WAR. 

S&'The  only  reliable  loork  of  the  kind  ever  published. ""^iSi 

ISmo.,  200  pp.    Price,  $1.00. 

Agents  and  the  Trade  supplied  on  liberal  terms,  and  single  copies  mailed,  post-paid,  on 
receipt  of  price.    Address 

J.  R.  HAWLEY  &  CO.,  Publishers, 

104r    Vine    Sti*eet,    Oincinnati,    O. 


ASTOUNDING  DISCLOSUEES! 


IV  ^ii^  H, «- .4- T I A^  E 

OF 

EDMUND  WRIGHT; 

His  Adventures  with  and  Escape  from  tlie 

GiiHtig  an  Inside  View  of  the  Modus  of  that  Infamous  Organizatitm, 
its  Connection  with  the  Mehellion,  and  the 

COPPERHEAD  MOVEMENT  AT  THE  NORTH. 


This  is  certainly  the  most  authentic  work  ever  written  on  the  subject,     s 
Mr.«AVRiGHT  was  a  fully  initiated  member,  and  a  man  of  reliable  authority 


Large  Octaro,  nearly  200  Pages,  with  20  fUll-page  Engravings. 


FUESH    AN33    IIA.CYI 


MOST  READABLE  BOOK  OF  THE  DAT! 


LIFE  SCENES  JN  OUR  GREAT  CITIES! 

BY  JOHN  COOPER  VAIL. 


The  freshness  and  romance  and  indescribable  bon  hommie  of  this  work  wil| 
recommend  it  to  all  classes  of  readers  every-where. 


I^ar^e  Octavo,  over  SOO  pagres,  finely  Illustrated. 


Agents  and  the  Trade  supplied  on  liberal  terms,  and  single  copies 
mailed,  post-paid,  on  receipt  of  price. 
Address 

J.  R.  HAWLEY  &  CO.,  Publishers, 

les   "William    Stx'eet,  16-4    Vine    Stveet, 

NEW  YORK,  CINCINNATI.  OHIO. 


